Senior left-hander Colin Clark tossed eight shutout innings to lead the Youngstown State baseball team to a 1-0 win over UIC on Friday at Curtis Granderson Stadium.

Youngstown State won its sixth straight contest to improve to 23-17 overall and 18-11 in Horizon League play. UIC, which had its eight-game winning streak snapped, falls to 18-16 overall and 17-11 in league action. With the victory, the Penguins snapped a nine-game losing streak at UIC and picked up their first win in Chicago since 2016. YSU has now reached 23 wins for the first time since 2008. The Penguins have also put together their first six-game winning streak since 2005.

Clark scattered four hits and struck out eight batters over a season-high eight scoreless innings to earn his fourth victory of the season. The Circleville, Ohio, native retired the side in order in the first, seventh and eighth innings. He recorded a strikeout in five different innings, and he had multiple punch outs in two different frames. Clark struck out the side in the third inning, and he did not allow a baserunner to reach second base until the sixth. The senior retired each of the final seven batters he faced.

The Penguins scored the lone run of the game in the top of the second inning when Turner Grau hit a one-out single, reached second on a fielder's choice and scored on a two-out RBI double to left field by Steven D'Eusanio.

The game was a pitcher's duel between Clark and UIC starter Jacob Key. Key allowed one run on five hits and struck out six batters over nine innings of work. He retired the side in order in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings during a stretch where retired 15 straight batters. He also retired the Penguins in order in the top of the ninth inning.

YSU closer Gary Clift Jr. earned his seventh save of the season after working a scoreless bottom of the ninth. After Clift Jr. induced a groundout to begin the inning, Joshua Figueroa singled to third base. After Cole Conn reached on a fielder's choice, Thomas Norton drew a two-out walk to put the potential winning run on base. However, Clift Jr. got Cory Moore to strike out swinging on a 2-2 pitch to secure the Penguins' sixth straight victory.

Each team had five hits in the contest as Grau went 2-for-3 with a run scored to pace YSU offensively. D'Eusanio, Dominick Bucko and Padraig O'Shaughnessy also recorded hits for the Penguins.

Figueroa went 3-for-4 to lead the Flames offensively while Garrett McCarthy and Ryan Lin-Peistrup also notched base hits. Clark and Clift Jr. combined to limit UIC to five singles as the Flames did not have an extra-base hit in the contest.

The Penguins and Flames will continue their four-game Horizon League series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:05 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and YSNLive.com.