Baseball bests Texas Southern

Ricardo Ramirez scored a home run and had five RBI in the series finale versus Texas Southern Sunday. — Photo: Steve Woltmann

The Flames were swinging the hot bat versus Texas Southern, winning three of four matches.

The baseball team lost its first match at Texas Southern Friday, 8-5, but then won the doubleheader Saturday, 22-5 and 22-8.

In the series finale Sunday, the Flames continued their winning streak, 16-3.

UIC used the long ball for the second straight day, hitting three more homers to raise the season total to 15. Leading 2-1 after three innings, the Flames used a seven-run fourth to put the game out of reach. UIC tallied at least one run in the second through sixth innings and a three-spot in the eighth.

Ricardo Ramirez (HR, five RBI), Wyatt Mascarella (HR, three RBI), Conor Philbin (three RBI) and Alex Dee (two doubles, two RBI) all recorded multi-hit efforts.

Freshman right-hander Charlie Cerny made his first collegiate start tossing three innings and allowing just one run. Reliever Trevor Lane struck out seven in three scoreless innings pitched.

For the series, the Flames tallied 65 runs, an average of 16.3 per game. Ramirez batted .471 (8-17) with two doubles, four home runs and 14 RBI while Dee was 7-14 (.500) with three doubles and 10 RBI.

The Flames return to the diamond Friday with a weekend series at Vanderbilt in Nashville.