Baseball battles for first place

Sophomore Mickey McDonald posted five RBI Sunday as the Flames beat Youngstown State. — Photo: Steve Woltmann

The top two teams in Horizon League baseball will battle this week as second-place UIC hosts top-ranked Wright State in a three-game series beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday.

The Raiders tout a league record of 7-1 while the Flames trail closely behind with a 7-2 mark.

UIC stands as one of the hottest teams in the nation after winning nine of their last 11 games, which includes five straight outings. Over the last eight games, the Flames have outscored their opponents by a margin of 67-29 and are hitting .320 from the plate.

Friday’s game starts at 6 p.m. with the finale at 1 p.m. Saturday. The first 200 students in attendance Friday night will receive free packets of Big League chew.

The Flames team (11-10-1, 7-2 Horizon League) completed the series sweep against Youngstown State (5-15, 1-8 Horizon League) with a doubleheader victory Sunday afternoon at Eastwood Field in Niles, Ohio.

The Flames claimed a 7-2 win to start the day, followed by a 9-0 triumph in the finale. UIC has won five straight games and has a 9-2 record in its last 11 outings.

Sophomore Mickey McDonald posted five RBI on the day as he went 4-for-10 from the dish. Sophomore Cody Bohanek, the reigning conference Batter of the Week, hit 3-for-7 and recorded four runs.

After the series sweep, Jake Dahlberg was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week, his second honor of the season. The left-hander leads the conference in innings pitched at 46.0, ranks second with a 2.54 ERA and an opposing batting average of .216.