Flames Rally from 12-4 Down; Salukis Hit 10 Home Runs in Defeat
When the first 5 innings of the line score look like a pair of ZIP Codes (31031 and 13820, respectively, you know you might be in for a crazy game.
When a team hits 10 home runs, you know you might be in for a crazy game.
And when a team rallies from 12-4 down after 3 innings to win, 19-17, and they’re NOT the team that hit the 10 homers, you know you have had a crazy game.
The #ValleyBall phenomenon was in full effect in Game 3 of the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship Wednesday, as the 4th-seeded UIC Flames knocked off 3rd-seed Southern Illinois, 19-17, in a game that featured 36 runs, 36 hits, and yes, 12 total home runs. SIU hit 10 of them, setting a school record and a MVC Tournament record in the process.
Yes, #ValleyBall is about teams being able to score from anywhere in the lineup at any time, which was shown by SIU’s 8th-place hitter Michael Mylott, who launched 3 homers, had 4 hits, and drove in 5 runs. Teammate Cecil Lofton homered twice and drove in 6 runs. His grand slam in the 3rd inning broke a 4-4 tie and was already SIU’s 5th homer of the game. John Lemm, Lofton, Gabe Petrucelli, and Jaxon Holder had already all hit solo homers by that point to erase UIC’s early 4-1 lead.
Up 12-4 after 3, it looked like the Salukis were well headed to the winner’s bracket and perhaps via run rule.
But as famous modern philosopher Lee Corso says … “Not so fast, my friend.”
If Southern Illinois was Hercules, UIC was a well-drilled battalion, attacking the Salukis in waves. A single here, a sac fly there. After 5, the Flames still trailed 14-8, but they were at least in the game. The tide turned in the 6th. The Flames produced 7 runs on 5 hits – 4 of which were singles. The only extra-base hit was Jackson Bessette’s leadoff double. Terrick Thompson-Allen and brought in a run with a sac fly. Vidal Colon, Luke Nowak, Thomas Curry, and Colin Husko had run-scoring singles. Husko’s capped the barrage, giving UIC a 15-14 lead.
You can guess what happened next.
With 2 out in the bottom of the 6th, Mylott homered to tie the game. A shot measured at 460 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph. Mammoth stuff.
Of course, the Flames weren’t done. In the 7th, the battalion bashed the door in and plundered the gold, and this time, they used cannons. A.J. Taylor hit a solo homer as UIC retook the lead. Later, after Lucas Smith’s RBI single, Curry hit a 2-run homer – like Taylor’s, to straightaway center) to make it 19-15. If it were a basketball game, UIC’s 15-3 run would have had Dick Vitale yelling that SIU needed a T.O. baby.
What SIU probably needed was more homers. Matt Schark delivered that after the 7th Inning Stretch, hitting his 24th homer of the season and earning his 80th RBI. Mylott’s 3rd homer led off the 9th, and Holder followed with a double, bringing the tie run to the plate.
Enter Zack Milsap. The senior from Crete, Ill., gave SIU no more life. Jordan Bach struck out. Schark grounded out. Then Lemm, looking for his 3rd homer of the game to tie it at 19, popped up to short.
And UIC had won one of the wackiest, craziest, and most fun college baseball games the Valley has seen.
Luke Nowak had 5 hits and scored 5 times for UIC (21-31). Husko drove in 5; Curry 4. Curry and Lucas Smith each had 3 hits, with Smith scoring 3 runs and knocking in 3. The 8th- and 9th-place hitters, Taylor and Colon, combined to go 4-for-9 with 5 runs and 2 RBIs. Mylott and Holder, SIU’s bottom 2 in the order, went 7-for-19 with 4 runs, 6 RBIs, and 4 homers.
While Milsap got the save (his 5th), the win went to Colin Hawkins, who saved the UIC bullpen by going 5 innings in relief. He gave up 4 runs on 6 this, but the inning quantity was the important key here. The way SIU was hitting, it would have been easy to use 7 or 8 pitchers. Now, UIC still has some bullpen left and it’s in the winner’s bracket.
SIU (37-19) heads to the loser’s bracket having used 6 pitchers. But 3 of those only threw 20 pitches or less. They also have Alec Nigut and Tyler Timmerman available to start.
If everything stays on track and bad weather stays away, UIC will next play the winner of tonight’s game between #2 seed Missouri State and #5 seed Illinois State. SIU will try to extend its season against the winner of the game going on now, featuring top-seed Murray State and 6th-seed Belmont, who were 11-7 winners today in a knockout game against Bradley.
Notes: Because you were probably wondering: 31031 is the ZIP Code for Gordon, Ga., while 13820 is the ZIP Code for Oneonta, N.Y. I think each town was the landing spot for a couple of today’s home runs.
Ed Morgans is the founder of MVCBaseball.com. An Evansville graduate, Ed has written about and broadcast college baseball, while following the sport for 40 years.
Life in the Valley 
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