CHICAGO – The UIC baseball team honored its 11 seniors Friday afternoon as the Flames squared off against Youngstown State in a doubleheader. After dropping the opener Friday, UIC responded with a 7-3 victory in Game 2.
 
Breck Nowik led the Flames with three RBI on the day while Cole Conn finished 3-for-5 at the plate between the two games. Tyler Ingram had a quality start in Game 2, pitching 6.1 innings to earn the win. The righty allowed two runs on seven hits while walking two and matching a season high with seven strikeouts.
 
Game 1 Recap
The Flames struck first, scoring all three of their runs in the bottom of the first inning. Ryan Lin-Peistrup singled to lead off the inning and moved to second on a Bryan Rosario walk. Cole Conn followed with a single to load the bases for Nowik, who delivered a two-run single to center to put UIC in front by a 2-0 margin. With Conn on third and one out, Rayth Petersen singled to left to plate Conn and extend the advantage to 3-0.
 
The Penguins countered with a pair of runs in the second and four more in the third to take a 6-3 lead in the seven-inning contest.
 
UIC, despite recording 10 hits in the game, had its offense kept largely in check, as the team was unable to score over the final six innings of action.
 
The Flames had a scoring opportunity in the fifth after Lin-Peistrup doubled to open the inning. Conn walked with one out to put runners on first and second, but a flyout and strikeout would end the Flames' threat.
 
Youngstown State added single runs in the sixth and seventh to push the score to its final 8-3 margin.
 
Game 2 Recap
The Flames once again jumped out to an early lead in Game 2, plating a trio of runs in the second to take a 3-0 lead. With runners on first and second with one out, Garrett McCarthy singled through the left side, allowing Ryan Nagelbach to score and move Petersen to second. Adam Weed followed one batter later with a double down the right field line to plate the pair of Flames and push the lead to 3-0.
 
Rosario helped add an insurance run in the fourth after he doubled to lead off the inning before moving to third on a stolen base. Conn immediately brough Rosario in with a single to center and push UIC's advantage to four.
 
A two-run home run by the Penguins in the fourth cut the lead in half but the Flames would counter in the seventh with a run of their own. Rosario continued to cause havoc on the basepaths, walking to lead off the inning and moving to second on a flyout. A Nowik double down the left field line allowed the speedy Rosario to easily score from second and make it 5-2 in favor of the Flames.
 
Youngstown State countered with a run in the eighth to make it 5-3 before a pair of UIC runs in the bottom of the eighth. UIC loaded the bases in the eighth before Lin-Peistrup drove home a pair with a single through the left side to push UIC's to four at 7-3.
 
The Flames will hit the road for a Sunday doubleheader at Oakland. First pitch against the Golden Grizzlies is slated for 12 p.m. (CT).