CHICAGO, Ill. – Illinois-Chicago used a six-run seventh inning to rally for a 6-4 win over Augustana Wednesday at Curtis Granderson Stadium. The contest was an exhibition for Coach Greg Wallace's club, while the Division I Flames improved to 4-12 on the season.
 
Pitchers were in control early, as UIC starter Zack Gould and reliever Nick Simonian held the Vikings without a hit through three innings and Augustana junior Max Mead (Lakewood HS, Lakewood, Colo.) shut the Flames out through six frames.
 
Mead's teammates gave him a lead with a run in the fourth. Sam Beyer (Legend HS, Parker, Colo.) led off with a double to left center against third UIC hurler Teague Conrad. Jake Huber (Lockport HS, Homer Glen, Ill.) then drew a walk and Mitchell Owens (Moline HS, Moline, Ill.) moved the runners to second and third with a sacrifice. Kyle Wise (Geneseo HS, Geneseo, Ill.) followed with a groundout to second that plated Beyer with the game's first run.
 
The Vikings made it 2-0 with a run in the seventh off fifth Flame pitcher Mark McCabe. Owens singled to center leading off and moved to second on Wise's sacrifice. One out later, Griffen Pschigoda (Wheaton Warenville South HS, Wheaton, Ill.) brought him home with a double to right center.
 
After giving up a leadoff walk to Trey Beckman in the bottom of the seventh, Mead exited in favor of Josh Chamberlain (Legacy HS, Thornton, Colo.). A Garrett McCarthy single and an error loaded the bases and Ryan Lin-Peistrup tied the game with a two-run double to left. Matt Bottcher followed with another two-bagger that knocked in a pair of runs to make it 4-2. Junior Alec Michaelson (Willowbrook HS, Lombard, Ill.) relieved Chamberlain and UIC took advantage of a wild pitch, an error, a walk and a single to plate two more runs and lead 6-2 after seven.
 
Freshman Zachary Vrbancic (Stagg HS, Palos Hills, Ill.) led off the Augustana eighth with single to center and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. Beyer drew a two-out walk and scored on an Owens double to get the Vikings to within 6-4. Another walk put the tying run on, but Joey Morris—the seventh Flame pitcher—came out of the UIC pen and fanned three of the four batters he faced to close things out.
 
Mead allowed just three hits and one run in six-plus innings. He walked three and fanned a pair. Chamberlain absorbed the loss. Freshman Jacob Irwin (Hersey HS, Arlington Heights, Ill.) finished up on the mound, fanning three in an inning and a third.
 
Owens had two of Augustana's six hits and Beyer scored twice.
 
Lin-Peistrup and Bottcher each had two hits and two RBI for the Flames. McCabe was credited with the win.
 
On Friday, March 13, Augustana (2-4) travels to Jacksonville, Illinois to face Illinois College in a twin bill beginning at noon.