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UIC Athletics

thevalley
senior day
Mark Black
2
Winner Evansville Aces UE 33-21
1
UIC Flames UIC 15-11
Winner
Evansville Aces UE
33-21
2
Final
1
UIC Flames UIC
15-11
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Evansville Aces UE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 1
UIC Flames UIC 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 1

W: Shane Harris (5-2) L: Lawler, Reece (0-1) S: Nate Hardman (10)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Narrowly Defeated by Evansville on Senior Day

Flames Earn No. 6 Seed in 2023 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship

CHICAGO – A ninth inning two-run home run by Evansville was the difference maker, as the UIC baseball team fell in its season finale to the Purple Aces 2-1.
 
The Flames will be the No. 6 seed in the 2023 Missouri Conference Baseball Championship and will face No. 7 seed Belmont in the opening round Tuesday afternoon.  
 
COMMENT FROM HEAD COACH SEAN MCDERMOTT
 
"It was a tough pill to swallow at the end, but give Evansville credit, we made a mistake and they capitalized. I thought pitcher Jeff Zack was outstanding this afternoon and our offense did a good job early. I'm so proud of our team for how far we've come over the last four weeks. We've put ourselves in a position to play for something meaningful at the end of the season. We're excited to compete in the Missouri Valley Baseball Championship. Our pitching has been good and we'll be ready to roll."
 
 
RECAP
  • The Flames' bats started off strong, as Cole Conn opened the game with a ground rule double over the right field wall. Two batters later, Rayth Petersen hit Conn home on the fielder's choice.
  • Jeff Zack had his best pitching performance of the season for the Flames. He threw 8.0 innings of scoreless ball, allowed two hits and struck out three. The graduate student did not allow a hit following the third inning.
  • Down 1-0 with one out in the ninth, Evansville's Kip Fougerousse hit a two-run homerun to left to give the Purple Aces the 2-1 lead.
  • UIC was able to get a runner into scoring position in the bottom half of the ninth after Breck Nowik advanced to second on an Evansville fielding error, but Flames were unable to send him home, giving the Aces the one run victory.
NEWS AND NOTES
  • Zack's eight innings pitched was his longest outing of the season. His two hits allowed were the fewest in a game as a starter in 2023.
  • Reece Lawler pitched 0.1 innings of relief for the Flames, allowing two hits and striking out one.
  • Zak Gould added 0.2 innings of relief in the ninth, forcing two fly outs.
  • UIC's four hits allowed was tied for a season-low. The Flames also gave up only four hits in four other contests in 2023.
  • The Flames have now allowed two runs or fewer in eight games this season.
  • Petersen's RBI was his 38th of the season.
  • UIC totaled seven hits on the day, with Zane Zielinski having a team-high two hits. 
  • Saturday was Zielinksi's 11th multi-hit game of the year. He finished the regular season on a five-game hitting streak.
  • The program honored six seniors following the game as part of its Senior Day celebrations.
  • UIC finished the 2023 regular season with a 27-23 record and 13-14 record in conference play.
UP NEXT

The Flames will be the No. 6 seed in the 2023 Missouri Valley Baseball Championship and will take on the No. 7 seed Belmont Tuesday at 1:30 PM CT at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Ind. Fans can watch the action on ESPN+.
 
The 2023 Missouri Valley Baseball Championship will take place Tuesday through Saturday, with all games being held at Bob Warn Field.
 
 
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