SUGARLAND, TEXAS (Feb. 25, 2024) – The UIC baseball team rounded out its two-series road trip Sunday, and closed out play in the Sugarland College Classic taking on Big East foe Creighton at 9:30 a.m. The Flames woke up the bats early on, but surrendered their advantage late, dropping Sunday's match-up by a final score of 12-7.
 
SCORING SUMMARY

• Wasting no time on get-away day, the Flames chased the Blue Jays starting pitcher Cade Lommel in the first inning, racing out to a 4-0 lead early in the contest. Rayth Petersen (Barrington, Ill./Morton College) continued his hot hitting as of late, driving home two runs with a single up the middle. The Flames would add two more runs with an RBI single from AJ Taylor (Downers Grove, Ill./College of DuPage) and an RBI ground out from James Harris (Chicago, Ill./Gwendolyn Brooks College Prep).
• The Blue Jays would answer back in the home half of the first inning, as two runs would come across against starting pitcher Kendall Lyons (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township), bringing the score to 4-2 after one inning. Lyons battled after stumbling in the first, pitching four and a third innings and surrendering just three earned runs.
• After surrendering a run in the bottom of the fifth, UIC built on its lead in the top of the sixth, as AJ Henkle (Huntley, Ill. McHenry County College) drove a double to right-center field to bring home Vidal Colon (Grafton, Wis./University School of Milwaukee). Henkle would come in to score on a Jackson Bessette (Bartlett, Ill./South Elgin) single to center field before Petersen gave the Flames a 7-3 lead with his third RBI of the day.
• The Blue Jays would answer back in the bottom of the seventh, plating eight runs on five hits in the inning to put Creighton ahead 12-7, which would be the game's final score.

 
UP NEXT
UIC will return home to Chicago and get set to host its first home opponent of the season this week as nearby North Park will head to Curtis Granderson Stadium for a Tuesday showdown. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. CT, and fans looking to attend can do so free of charge. The game will also be audio streamed on the Flames Network with the voice of the Flames Jonathan Hood, and live stats will be available.
 
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).