Baseball team opens play with strong start

John Coen tallied three hits Sunday versus Lamar. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The baseball team won three of its four games over the weekend in Beaumont, Texas, at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

The team (3-1) opened season in dominating fashion on Friday afternoon with an 11-3 victory against Marist.

“It was a great way to start the season,” associate head coach Sean McDermott said. “We were able to capitalize on a few of their mistakes and keep the pressure on by stringing together some hits. I’m really proud of our guys, but we have a lot of work to do.”

On Saturday, the Flames picked up two wins, starting the season with three straight wins for the first time since 2002 when the Flames swept Florida A&M.

UIC opened the day with a 10-7 win against Marist and claimed a 6-3 victory versus Lamar in a game that went 12 innings.

“Our guys never stopped grinding,” McDermott said.  “We did the little things all afternoon and that is making the difference. The energy in our dugout has been tremendous and then to have the ability to maintain that energy is awesome. Our bullpen deserves a lot of credit for how they performed.”

During Sunday’s final match, the team scored six total runs in the eighth and ninth innings, sending the game into extra frames against host Lamar, but the Red Foxes claimed the 8-7 victory in the 10th.

“Despite being down early, our guys continued to stay positive,” McDermot said. “Our mood in the dugout stayed consistent for the entire game and we kept grinding away.  I’m really proud of how our players handled themselves today. We are in a really good place right now and our guys know how to compete.”

The Flames return to action next weekend at Vanderbilt for a three-game series, beginning at 4 p.m. Friday.