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Indiana State University Athletics

Morris
16
Winner Indiana State INS 12-13
5
UIC Flames UIC 5-18
Winner
Indiana State INS
12-13
16
Final
5
UIC Flames UIC
5-18
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
Indiana State INS 1 1 2 0 1 3 6 2 16 16 1
UIC Flames UIC 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 0

W: Morris, Gavin (4-2) L: Vitellaro, Michael (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Seth Montgomery | GoSycamores.com

Garis powers Sycamores to 16-5 win over UIC in weekend series opener

CHICAGO, Ill. – Keegan Garis homered three times and drove in nine RBIs as Indiana State powered its way past UIC on Friday night at Curtis Granderson Stadium, 16-5.
 
Garis homered in the third (two-run), fifth (solo), and seventh (three-run), while adding a pair of RBI singles and a walk in a career performance. The Indiana State (12-13, 3-1) outfielder became the first Sycamore to achieve a three-homer game since 2017, while his nine RBIs also marked the most since 2017. Garis came up to the plate one final time in the top of the eighth inning with the bases loaded and a chance at history, and the senior outfielder connected on a two-run single to left field to provide the final 16-5 scoring margin in the run-rule shortened, eight-inning game.
 
Indiana State took the early 4-0 lead through the top of the third as Jorge Cartagena and Eli Gipson drove in early RBIs, while Garis homered for the first time with a two-run shot to left field in support of Sycamore starter Max McEwen.
 
McEwen cruised through the first two innings in the mound with five early strikeouts, before running into trouble in the bottom of the third. UIC (5-19, 1-3) rallied back to take the 5-4 lead in the bottom of the third following Terrick Thompson-Allen's three-run double to left field, while James Harris connected on the go-ahead RBI double putting the Flames up by one.
 
Garis answered with a solo home run in the top of the fifth to tie the game up at 5-5, before the Sycamore offense took over against the UIC bullpen. Gipson, Pena, Garis, and Beck combined to drive in 11 runs with Garis providing the big at-bats with RBI singles in the sixth and eighth innings, while adding a three-run home run in the top of the seventh to cap the Friday afternoon win.
 
Gavin Morris (4-2) went 4.2 innings in a relief outing on the mound as the senior right-hander allowed just two hits while striking out five in the win. Morris entered with two on, one out in the fourth and promptly retired the Flames on a double-play ball to get out of the jam. He shut down the Flames' offense the rest of the way, including a 1-2-3 bottom of the eighth to close out the win.
 
Garis went 5-for-5 with nine RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Sycamore offense, while Gipson added a three-hit, three-RBI game. Carlos Pena, Carter Beck, and Taylor Jackson also recorded multi-hit games in the win.
 
McEwen went the first 3.1 innings on the mound allowing seven hits and five runs while striking out five in the start.
 
Luke Nowak and Thompson-Allen both recorded multi-hit games for UIC in the loss.
 
Michael Vitellaro (0-1) took the loss allowing two hits and three runs over a 1.0-inning relief stint. Dillon Schueler took the start on the mound, while seven different UIC pitchers saw action overall on Friday afternoon.
 
How They Scored
  • Indiana State took the early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Jorge Cartagena connected on a sacrifice fly scoring Eli Gipson to put the Sycamores ahead early.
  • Gipson added to the Indiana State lead in the top of the second inning as the junior infielder connected on an RBI single to left scoring Nomar Garcia to make it a 2-0 game.
  • Keegan Garis connected on a two-run home run in the top of the third inning bringing home Carlos Pena to make it a 4-0 ballgame.
  • UIC rallied back in the bottom of the third inning as Thomas Curry singled home Luke Nowak to cut the deficit down to 4-1.
  • The Flames tied the game at 4-4 on Terrick Thompson-Allen's three-run RBI double to left field clearing the bases in the third inning.
  • UIC closed out the frame on James Harris' RBI double to the wall in center field scoring Thompson-Allen to give the Flames the 5-4 lead following the third inning.
  • Garis homered for the second time with a solo shot to right field in the top of the fifth inning to tie the game up at 5-5.
  • The Sycamores rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth. Gipson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded scoring Jackson Taylor, while Carlos Pena drew a walk scoring Jeremy Martinez. Garis singled home Garcia to cap the inning and make it an 8-5 Sycamore lead.
  • Carter Beck added two more runs in the top of the seventh as the sophomore outfielder connected on a sacrifice fly to the wall in right field, deep enough for both Taylor and Martinez to score and make it a 10-5 lead.
  • Gipson followed with an RBI single to left scoring Garcia to make it 11-5 in the seventh.
  • Two batters later, Garis connected on a three-run home run to left center to cap the six-run seventh inning bringing home Pena and Gipson to make it a 14-5 ballgame.
  • Garis put the capper on the game in the top of the eighth as the senior outfielder connected on a two-run single to left field scoring Garcia and Beck to provide the final scoring margin. 
News & Notes
  • Keegan Garis became the first Sycamore to hit three home runs in the same game in the 2025 season and just the fifth overall in program history to accomplish the feat.
  • Garis' three-homer game marked the Sycamores' first since Dane Tofteland connected on three home runs on April 18, 2017, against Northern Illinois.
  • Garis finished with a personal-best nine RBIs in the game marking the most RBIs by a Sycamore batters since Tofteland drove in 11 runs in the same game against Northern Illinois.
  • Garis' five-hit game marked a career-high as he became the first Sycamore to record five hits in a single game since Luis Hernandez achieved the feat last year against Xavier on March 15, 2024.
  • Carlos Pena went 2-for-3 from the plate with a trio of walks in running his on-base streak to a career-high 19 consecutive games.
  • Garis ran his on-base streak to 15 consecutive games after his 5-for-5 performance.
  • Nomar Garcia scored a career-high four runs in the win.
  • Gavin Morris became the first Sycamore to post four wins on the mound in the 2025 season. 
Up Next
Indiana State and UIC continue the weekend series tomorrow afternoon at Les Miller Field at Curtis Granderson Stadium as the Sycamores and Flames lineup for game two. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. ET with the game to be carried live on ESPN+ and 105.5 The Legend.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on the Sycamore Baseball team, make sure to check out GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.
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