CLINTON, NY – Hamilton College's Dan Hood (Simsbury, CT/ Simsbury) and Alex Augustyn (Hillsborough, CA/ Crystal Springs Uplands High School)
each hit two-run home runs to lead the Continentals to a 6-3 non-conference victory over Union College Tuesday afternoon.
Colin McKelligan (Canton, MA/ Salisbury) went 2-for-4 to lead the Dutchmen, who fall to 8-20 on the season. Hamilton improves to 8-13-1.
Gideon Clark (Chagrin Falls, OH/ Chagrin Falls) plated Ryan Calabrese (Manlius, NY/ Fayetteville-Manlius) on a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the fourth to give Hamilton a 1-0 lead, but Union responded in the top of the fifth as
Shawn Johnston (Hamilton, NJ/ The Peddie School) doubled to left center and scored when
Andy Brown (Saratoga Springs, NY/ Saratoga Springs) reached base on an error.
The Continentals picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and sixth on Hood's and Augustyn's two-run homers to left to claim a 5-1 lead after six.
Kyle Murphy (Plymouth MA/Phillips Andover Academy) singled to right in the top of the eighth and advanced to third on a double to right center by
Zach Tillo (Lancaster, MA/ Exeter). Pat Wilson (Cos Cob, CT/ Greenwich) knocked a double into center field to score Murphy and Tillo and to cut Hamilton's lead to 5-3.
Union had runners in scoring position with one out in the top of the ninth, as
Paul Mene (Falls Church, VA/ George Mason HS) singled to right center and advanced to second on a passed ball. Mene advanced to third when
Matt Wentworth (North Andover, MA/ North Andover) grounded out to second, but Hamilton reliever Patrick Suarez (Wappinger's Falls, NY/ Roy C. Ketchum) forced
Matt Smith (Latham, NY/ LaSalle Institute) to ground out to second to end the threat.
Union starter
Roy Eriksen (South Nyack, NY/ The Hackley School) allowed one run on five hits in four innings.
Dave Carson (No. Marshfield, MA/ Thayer Academy) took the loss, allowing four runs on three hits in just over one inning pitched. Brown took the mound for the Dutchmen late in the sixth, and held the Continentals to one run on two hits before Mene faced the final batter of the eighth. In his first career appearance, Mene battled with Jack Maloney (Cambridge, MA/ The Rivers School), eventually forcing the junior to ground into a 4-3 double play to end the inning.
Hamilton starter Max Foster (Sherborn, MA/ Groton School) struck out seven while giving up three runs on nine hits in 7.1 innings. Suarez gave up one hit in the ninth to earn the save.
Union wraps up the regular season this weekend in a four-game series with Liberty League rival Skidmore. The Dutchmen travel to Saratoga Springs for a noon doubleheader and then host the Thoroughbreds in a noon doubleheader at Buck Ewing Field.
