SCHENECTADY, NY -- Junior first baseman Megan Kaknis (New Windsor, NY) drove in eight runs and sophomore pitcher Ginny Sack (Burnt Hills, NY) won her 10th straight game in the nightcap and 20th of the year as Union swept Oswego State, 23-4 (5 innings) and 14-9 at Alexander Field Tuesday. Union, the top scoring team in NCAA Division III, is now 29-4 with a 12 game winning streak, while the Lakers fell to 17-18.
Kaknis blasted her fifth homer in game one, which also featured two homers by junior shortstop Michelle Rogers (Clarence, NY). Rogers was four for four with four RBIs and four runs scored while Kaknis had four RBIs and a homer in the opener. Sack gave up three hits and two earned runs in four innings and the Dutchwomen had 22 hits in the contest. In the nightcap, Kaknis was three for five with four RBIs and her sixth homer of the year, while Sack came in for four innings of relief and gave up five hits but struck out seven. Her three run homer in the sixth stanza of the second game gave her 129 career RBIs, breaking the career record of 128 by Julie Gawronski (2003-06).
Union jumped out to a 6-0 first game lead and led 15-0 after two innings. They tacked on eight more in the fourth. Every starter had at least one hit and the Dutchwomen got two hits each from Catherine Kielb (Rensselaer, NY), Alexandra King (Chester Springs, PA), Bridget Graham (Orchard Park, NY) and Becky Gronczniak (Mechanicville, NY). Oswego starter Erika Ayers (Holley, NY) went the distance and took the defeat. Five different Lakers had a base hit.
Rogers had both of her homers and all of her RBIs in the second inning of the opener, as Union batted around in both the first and second stanzas. The Dutchwomen sent 12 batters to the plate in the second inning, and every starter scored in this game. The 23 run total was the second most this season, behind the 24 in the opener against Southern Vermont on April 12, and the third time the Dutchwomen eclipsed 20 runs in a game in 2008. Union entered the game ranked #1 in scoring and #2 in batting average in NCAA Division III. The Dutchwomen, ranked #1 in doubles per game, had four in the opening contest.
Union scored two first inning runs in the nightcap, but Oswego scored six runs in the third and Sack came in for relief of starter Tiffany Ippoliti (Schuylerville, NY). The inning featured two run home runs each by Rachael Eckhard (Hannibal, NY) and Sarah Castaldo (Oswego, NY), Castaldo's seventh of the year, and Jillian Burns (Wynantskill, NY). After Burns' homer, Sack ended the inning with a strikeout and groundout.
The Lakers added another run for a 7-3 in the fourth but the Dutchwomen made it 7-5 in the bottom of the fifth with a sacrifice fly by King and an RBI single by Kelly Owings (Oswego, NY). The Lakers made it 9-5 with sixth inning RBI singles by Erin Tracy (Pulaski, NY) and Burns. But the Dutchwomen exploded with nine runs and eight hits, sending 13 batters to the plate, en route to the victory. The inning featured a two-run double by Ashley Kovack (Ridgefield, CT) and a three-run homer by Kaknis. Ayers once again pitched the complete game for Oswego. Bridget Graham, Rogers and Megan Bordino (New Paltz, NY) had two hits each in the win, which featured 19 hits and six more Dutchwomen doubles. Rogers, who entered the game fourth in the nation in doubles per game, had two in the nightcap after one in the opener.
Union, also winners of 17 of the last 18 and 28 of the last 30 games, hosts the University of Rochester (26-10) Saturday, May 3 for Senior Day at Alexander Field. The 2 p.m. doubleheader will be a showdown for the Liberty League title, as the Yellowjackets and Dutchwomen are both 6-0 in Liberty League play.
Game 1 Box score
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Game 2 Box score
