CHICAGO, Ill. - UIC pulled away late in game one of a doubleheader and carried the momentum into game two in sweeping the Milwaukee baseball team Saturday afternoon at Granderson Stadium.
 
The Flames (16-7, 7-1 Horizon League) broke open game one late, scoring the final five runs of the contest after the Panthers (7-16, 0-8 Horizon League) had drawn within two in the seventh inning and had the tying run at the plate.
 
"It stands out late in the game when we had a chance, but the real story is we beat ourselves early in the game on the mound and put ourselves behind the eight-ball from the start," Milwaukee head coach Scott Doffek said. "Against a quality team like that, more times than not you are going to have a hard time catching up."
 
In the nightcap, Reid Birlingmair pitched a gem, finishing with a two-hit shutout in a 5-0 decision that gave UIC its 12^th win in its past 13 games on the season.
 
"He did a really good job of mixing and going in and out," Doffek said. "He's pitched well all year. What balls we did barrel, we're just in one of those ruts where when we hit something hard, it finds a glove – and that is where we are at."
 
Down 5-0 in the opener, the Panthers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth. After putting runners on second and third with nobody out on a single by Jeremy Wright and a double by Daulton Varsho, UWM got on the board when Devin Rybacki recorded an infield hit. Ben Chally added a sacrifice fly, but that was the end of the threat.
 
Down 6-2, Chris Kelly's two-run single in the seventh again brought the tying run to the plate but Milwaukee could get no closer. The Flames used four walks and seven hit batters to their advantage, tacking on a run in the eighth and putting it away with four in the ninth.
 
Wright had the only two-hit effort in the opener, finishing 2-for-4. David Cronin had a big day for UIC, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
 
Elijah Goodman (0-2) suffered the loss, despite walking one and striking out five in his 6.1 innings of work.
 
In game two, Birlingmair (3-1) took a no-hitter into the ninth until Dylan Detert laced a 1-0 pitch solidly into right field to spoil the bid. Kelly followed with an infield hit.
 
Austin Schulfer (3-4) had just one rough frame in his 7.0 innings of work, but three in the second was enough to spell trouble for the day. He struck out four.
 
The teams wrap-up the series with a 1 p.m. start Sunday.