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UIC Athletics

thevalley
BSB Kansas
11
Winner Illinois-Chicago UIC 1-0
9
Kansas KU 0-1
Winner
Illinois-Chicago UIC
1-0
11
Final
9
Kansas KU
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Illinois-Chicago UIC 1 0 2 3 3 0 0 2 0 11 9 0
Kansas KU 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 4 9 11 2

W: Schueler, Dillon (1-0) L: Dutton, Reese (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Uses Offensive Outburst to Topple Kansas Friday

Flames Score Double-Digit Runs in Season Opener

CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS (February 16, 2024) – The UIC baseball team opened the 2024 season Friday evening, as the Flames took on Big 12-foe Kansas at Whataburger Field, home of the Corpus Christi Hooks, the AA affiliate of the Houston Astros. Originally slated for a 3 p.m. CT first pitch, the game was pushed back over three hours and began shortly after 6:30 p.m. CT due to rain in the gulf coast area.
 
SCORING SUMMARY
  • The Flames got off to a quick start in Friday's opener, as Ryan Nagelbach (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) secured the first hit of the season for UIC in the top of the first inning, a one-out double to left center.
 

 
After advancing to third on a Rayth Petersen (Barrington, Ill./Morton College) single, Nagelbach scored the first run of the season on an AJ Henkle (Huntley, Ill./McHenry County College) RBI ground-out to put UIC ahead 1-0.
  • Henkle added to his RBI total in his very next at-bat, as the redshirt junior brought home a pair of runs on a triple to deep right-center field, extending the UIC lead to 3-0 in the top of the third inning.
 

 
  • UIC doubled its advantage in the fourth inning as Zane Zielinski (Chicago, Ill./Northeast CC) tripled home a pair of runs with one out, and was brought in to score on Vidal Colon (Grafton, Wis./University School of Milwaukee)'s first collegiate RBI on a ground-out to run the score to 6-0.
 

 
  • James Harris (Chicago, Ill./Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep) increased the Flames' advantage in the road half of the fifth inning, as his triple to the left field corner cleared the loaded bases and gave UIC a 9-0 lead.
 

 
  • Preseason All-Big 12 honoree Kodey Shojinaga hit a solo home run to left field off starting pitcher Dillon Schueler (Rock Falls, Ill./Sauk Valley CC). The sophomore scattered six hits over five innings pitched and surrendered only one run in his Flames debut.
  • Kendall Ewell (Calumet City, Ill./Kentucky) tallied his first RBI as a Flame in the top of the eighth inning, rounding out the scoring for the day with a two-RBI single to shallow left-center field to put UIC ahead by 10 runs at 11-1.
  • The Jayhawks awoke the bats in the home half of the eighth inning, plating four runs in the frame, all credited against Matt Zahora (Burbank, Ill./St. Laurence). Dylan White (Danville, Calif./University of Chicago) came on in relief of Zahora, going 1 and 2/3 innings. After loading the bases, White gave way to Reece Lawler (Gurnee, Ill./Iowa) who surrendered a grand slam to Shojinaga before striking out the final batter of the night to secure the victory. The Flames took game one of the three-game series by a final score of 11-9.
 
The Flames earned their first victory against a power-five program of the 2024 season, and their first since beating Purdue 7-3 at Curtis Granderson Stadium on May 10, 2023.
 
UP NEXT
UIC will continue its three-game series against the Jayhawks on Saturday, as the two will square off for the second time in an afternoon tilt. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m. CT, as Brandon Bak (Plainfield, Ill./Plainfield North) is slated to make his first start of 2024. The game will be shown live on FloSports, and live stats will also be provided.
 
For more information on UIC Athletics and UIC baseball, visit UICFlames.com. Fans can also follow the Flames on social media through X (@UIC_Baseball and @UICFlames) and Instagram (@uic_baseball and @uicflames).
 
 
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