CHICAGO – In a game that featured 21 combined runs, 29 combined hits and nine home runs, the UIC baseball team dropped an 11-10 extra innings heartbreaker to Wright State Sunday afternoon.
 
Originally scheduled for a doubleheader, weather Sunday forced the start time back three hours, resulting in just one game being played.
 
The two teams traded the lead through the first three innings before the Raiders took the lead in the fourth. UIC slowly climbed back into the game, scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the eighth to take a 10-9 lead. Wright State tied things up in the ninth with a two-strike, two-out home run to force extra innings. The Raiders' sixth home run of the game came in the 10^th to put the visitors up 11-10 and UIC was unable to climb back once again.
 
Wright State jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a solo shot in the top of the first. The Flames quickly countered with two in the home half to take a 2-1 lead after an inning of play. Back-to-back singles by Ryan Lin-Peistrup and Bryan Rosario put runners on the corners with one away. RBI knocks by Breck Nowik and Cole Conn allowed the pair to score and put the Flames in front.
 
A three-run homer by the visitors in the second quickly made it 4-2 before the Flames scored three of their own in the bottom of the third. Rayth Petersen and Conn got in on the home run derby, with Petersen connecting on a solo shot while Conn hit a two-run blast to once again put UIC in front, 5-4.
 
A three-run fourth by the Raiders gave Wright State the lead again at 7-5. UIC would get a run back in the fifth on an RBI groundout by Joshua Figueroa. Solo home runs by Wright State in the sixth and seventh pushed the Raider lead to three at 9-6.
 
The Flames started to rally in the bottom of the seventh, scoring a pair of runs to pull within one. With runners on the corners and nobody out, Figueroa lifted a sacrifice fly to center, allowing Conn to score from third. Then, with runners on first and third with two outs, a wild pitch allowed Ryan Nagelbach to scamper home from third and get UIC a run closer at 9-8.
 
Conn drove in his fourth run of the day in the bottom of the eighth to tie the score 9-all, bringing home Petersen who led off with a single to open the inning. After Conn was caught stealing, Nagelbach hit the go-ahead home run to right center to give UIC its first lead since the third inning at 10-9.
 
After the first two Raiders were retired in the ninth, and down to their final strikeout, Wright State's Avery Fisher hit his third home run of the day to tie things up at 10-all. In the extra frame, Alex Sayer left the ballpark with a home run, the sixth of the day for Wright State, to give the Raiders a 11-10 lead.
 
UIC would get a pair of runners on in the 10^th on a pair of walks, but a popout and a strikeout would end the game.
 
UIC returns to action April 29-May 1 with a three-game series at Purdue Fort Wayne.
 
News and Notes

• Conn had a team-high five hits and a team-leading four RBI on the afternoon. The five hits are a new career-high for the sophomore catcher.
• The Flames tied a season high with three home runs in the contest
• Petersen has now reached base safely in each of the last 27 contests.