Feb. 23, 2008

Box Score

New Orleans, La.- An unearned run in the bottom of the eighth broke a 3-3 tie and proved to be the game-deciding score as the UIC baseball team was edged by host Tulane, 4-3, at Turchin Stadium on Saturday.

Right-hander Derrick Miramontes allowed five hits and three runs in six innings in his debut for the Flames (0-2), getting a no-decision.

A one-out fielding error by Ty Rubio in right allowed Jared Dyer to reach and advance to second base. After a groundout moved Dyer over to third, he scored the go-ahead run for Tulane (2-0) on Aja Barto's single.

In the top of the ninth the Flames had the tying run in scoring position after Tony Altavilla led off the frame with a walk and moved into second on Chris Rutta's groundout. But the game ended on two more groundball outs.

"You always look at the last couple of plays, but we had opportunities in the first few innings with guys in scoring positions," said UIC head coach Mike Dee. "I thought we had good at-bats, but we just didn't get a hit. All in all, I thought we played very relaxed, and this is just the second day we've been outside.

"I couldn't be more pleased with the way we played today," said Dee. "Tulane is a great club. They've very, very good, they've very poised, and they're a very good test for us right now."

UIC led on two different occasions during the game. The game was scoreless until the top of the fifth, when Brett Schaefer hit a two-run single to right that plated Rafael Garcia and Altavilla.

Tulane answered in its half of the fifth on a pair of RBI hits.

The Flames regained the lead in the next inning. Steve McGuiggan took a one-out walk and moved all the way to third on Garcia's single. Rubio hit into a fielder's choice that erased Garcia at second but allowed McGuiggan to score.

Once again Tulane evened the game in its half of a UIC run-scoring inning when Dyer, who led off the sixth with a leadoff double, scored on a single.

"I thought we were relaxed, much more so than we were yesterday, and we competed really hard," said Dee. "They caught a break there at the end, but it was a great college game."

The Flames out-hit the hosts, 8-6.

Garcia finished his day 2-for-3 with a walk.

UIC closes out its three-game series at Tulane on Sunday afternoon.