POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Union College used high-scoring big innings in each game of a Liberty League doubleheader to sweep Vassar, 9-4 and 12-5 at Prentiss Field Saturday afternoon. The first game saw Union jump out to a 7-0 lead, and the Dutchmen came back from a two-run deficit in the second game.

 

Vassar, which concluded the home portion of the 2008 season, drops to 8-22, 3-17. Union improves to 8-19, 3-16. The two teams will conclude their respective seasons with a Sunday doubleheader in Schenectady on Sunday.

 

In the doubleheader, Union pounded out a total of 24 hits compared to Vassar's 15 and was able to put runners into scoring positions with 10 stolen bases, five in each inning. While the Union pitching didn't overpower Vassar hitters with a mass of strikeouts, the Dutchmen held the Brewers to only one extra base hit in the two games, a triple by sophomore Ari Glantz in the second game. Two Union hurlers earned their first wins of the season, junior Brian McLaughlin (Norwood, N.J.) in the first game and freshman Gregory Wyman (Wilton, Conn.) in the second game.

 

Andy Brown (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) led off the first game with a double on the game's first pitch against Vassar senior starter Alex Tanskey, who took the loss. Union capitalized on two Vassar errors in jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead. A total of five runs in third and fourth innings of the seven inning game put Vassar in a hole. The key blow for Union in the third inning came off the bat of junior Shawn Johnston (Hamilton, N.J.), whose double to left brought home two runs after Union's senior Zach Tillo (Lancaster, Mass.) and junior Pat Wilson (Cos Cob, Conn.) reached base on a single and walk respectively and later scored. In the fourth inning, Union posted three runs to pad its lead, capitalizing on a run scoring triple by Brown – who subsequently scored on a wild pitch – and an RBI to right field by Tillo.

 

The Brewers went scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings, but their bats came alive in the sixth inning, and came within having the tying run at bat before McLaughlin was able to get out of the inning. Vassar pounded out six of their nine hits in the sixth, getting five straight singles in a rally that was initiated by freshman David Ringold.

 

Union was able to add two important insurance runs in the top of the seventh, with Tillo getting aboard after being hit by a pitch. Colin McKelligan (Canton, Mass.) aided the winning effort with a RBI triple and Johnston notched his third RBI of the game with a single to left field that accounted for the two runs.

 

Vassar's Evans highlighted his senior day starting effort with three hits. Brown, Tillo and Johnston each had a pair of hits for Union. McLaughlin scattered nine hits in the complete game victory (1-4) while Tanskey also allowed nine hits in his complete game loss.

 

After Union senior Scott Carroll (Scituate, Mass) drove home Brown for the second game's initial run in the top of the first, the Brewers looked to make the doubleheader a spilt, jumping ahead 3-1 after two innings. Glantz's triple blasted into right center, bringing home freshman Joe Castilla who reached base via a walk. Murn plated Glantz with a single to right field and the Brewers held a 2-1 lead off Wyman. Vassar added another run in the second inning for a 3-1 lead following an RBI single from junior Zack Miller.

 

But from that point, Vassar starter Brian Scuibba (Wantagh, NY/General Douglas McCarther) ran into trouble, in the third, fifth and sixth innings, allowing 10 runs on eight hits. The four runs scored in the third inning were manufactured by four hits and a Vassar error, two RBI coming from sophomore Paul Mene (Falls Church, Va.). Union added four runs in the fifth on three hits and three runs in the sixth on another three hit inning. The major offensive players in this stretch were Carroll and Tillo who each had three RBI in the game, along with Brown and freshman Dane Flavin (Schenectady, N.Y.), who each had two. Union went scoreless for the following three innings, but had built a 15-hit attack, led by Tillo and Johnson who each had three.

 

Vassar scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth, orchestrated by a single and stolen base by Glantz and a walk to Murn. Both runners scored off RBI by Plude (sacrifice fly) and Gray.

 

Wyman allowed six Vassar hits in his first victory of the season (1-0), and David Arouca (Wilmette, Ill.) allowed one hit over the final three innings to pick up his first save of the season.