MURRAY, Ky. – On the second day of the 2026 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship, the top-seeded UIC baseball team (25-27-1, 16-8 MVC) couldn't be stopped, run-ruling No. 4 Southern Illinois (24-31, 14-10 MVC) in seven innings, 11-1 at Johnny Reagan Field at Taylor Family Park Thursday afternoon.
After a quick 1-2-3 inning in the top of the first, the Flames struck early when after junior
Ashton Kampa got on base after being hit by pitch, he would later score on a two-run home run off the bat of junior
Thomas Curry, sending the ball 392 feet over the left-center field wall to get UIC ahead, 2-0.
The Salukis responded with a runner across in the top of the second, before senior
Will Flanigan stepped into the batter's box for his first at bat in the bottom of the inning. On a 2-2 pitch, Flanigan would take Troy Shepard's next pitch over the right field wall for his third home run of the season.
Walking back to the mound with a 3-1 lead, junior
Mason Lei settled in quickly. After recording two strikeouts in the third inning, Lei received help from Curry, who threw out his 19th baserunner attempting to steal this season as Southern Illinois' Kristian Sprawling was tagged out to end the inning. Lei followed with two more strikeouts in the fourth, retiring both Tim Simay and Jacob McKenzie to close the frame.
The Flames added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth when, on the first pitch he saw, Kampa would drive the ball over the right field wall for a three-run home run, scoring Flanigan and freshman
Sean Cody for his 15
th homer of the season.
After a quiet fifth inning, UIC erupted for five runs in the top of the sixth. Flanigan opened the frame with a one-out single and later scored on a fielder's choice. On his next at-bat, Curry delivered a two-run single to left field, driving in Kampa and graduate student
Gavin Acosta. Curry later scored in the inning after Southern Illinois went to the bullpen and brought in Blake Kimball. On the second pitch he saw, junior
Jake Busson launched a home run over the left-center field wall for his 18th of the season.
Now holding a run-rule lead, Lei returned to the mound in the seventh and closed out the win. After issuing a leadoff walk to Gabe Petrucelli, he induced Simay into a grounder to Cody that started a 6-4-3 double play. Lei then finished the game with his final strikeout, as McKenzie went down looking once again to secure the seven-inning UIC victory.
Lei recorded his second complete game of the season, allowing five hits and one earned run while striking out eight in a 96-pitch performance.
The entire play-by-play and box score can be found
here.
UP NEXT!
The Flames will face the winner of Thursday's other winner's bracket game between No. 2 Indiana State (30-25, 15-9 MVC) and No. 3 Murray State (32-25, 15-9 MVC) in the MVC Tournament semifinal round Friday at 11 a.m. CT at Johnny Reagan Field at Taylor Family Park. The game will be available to stream on The Valley on ESPN and ESPN+. Live stats will be available at UICFlames.com.
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