POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – The Union College baseball team dropped two decisions to Vassar earning them a season series split with the Brewers on
Sunday in a Liberty League doubleheader from Prentiss Field. The Brewers took game one with a score of 10-0, while completing the sweep in the nightcap with a 9-3 victory.
Game 1: Vassar 10, Union 0: W – Erkis (6-0), L – Martin (1-3)Vassar freshman Adam Erkis continued his fantastic rookie campaign
Sundayafternoon, as he held the league's most potent offense off the board for his second complete-game shutout in his last three outings.
Erkis was on all day long, as he allowed just four hits and no runs, walking one hitter while bringing his season earned run average down to 1.99. Run support wasn't an issue either, as the freshman got plenty of runs to help his cause.
Vassar College (14-12, 9-7 Liberty) started the game strong, posting four runs in the bottom of the first. Junior Jason Garfinkel plated two with double to left field, and scored on the next at-bat as Cory Wuenschell tripled to right field. The rally was capped with a RBI single from junior infielder Kyle Casey.
The Brewers added another run in the bottom of the second inning, as Nick Johnson drove in a run on a groundout, and VC pushed its lead to 6-0 in the bottom of the third on an RBI double from Denis Shanagher.
Vassar pushed across three in the bottom of the fourth, and one more in the sixth inning to pull away from the Dutchmen. Casey was 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Garfinkel finished with two hits, two RBI and two runs scored. Senior Brett Zaziski scored twice and was 2-for-2, and Johnson added two hits and two RBI. Shanagher also added a multi-hit affair for the Brewers, who tallied 15 hits on the day.
Senior outfielder
Sam Caruso had two hits in three at-bats for Union, while freshman infielder
Jake Fishman and junior infielder
Ryan Atkins each had singles. Freshman pitcher
Devin Martin was charged with the loss, giving up nine earned runs over four innings, surrendering 12 hits.
Game 2: Vassar 9, Union 3: W – Berg (6-1), L – Geisel (4-3)The Brewers rallied from being down 3-0 in the early going, posting a five-run seventh inning to help pull away from the Dutchmen for the win. VC got another strong outing from left-hander Trent Berg (Milton, MA/Boston College), and the Brewers added another 11 hits in earning the win.
Union (18-8-1, 11-5-1 Liberty) hopped out to an early 3-0 lead in the second inning, plating three runs thanks to RBI singles from senior infielder
Joe Bradlee, sophomore outfielder
Chris Carbone and junior infielder
Anders Goetz. Vassar came right back with two runs in the bottom of the second, as Wuenschell doubled in a run and scored on a RBI single from Parker Werline.
The Brewers tied the contest at three in the bottom of the fifth, as Brad Kendall drove in Casey who had earlier walked. After the second, Berg settled in and allowed no more runs through his seven innings of work. In the bottom half of the seventh, VC blew the game open with five runs to take an 8-3 lead.
In the frame, the big blow came with two outs, as Johnson pounded a shot to right-center field. The outfielders of Union came together, but neither could corral the drive and the ball rolled to the wall. Johnson flew around the bases for the inside-the-park homerun, finishing the five-run spurt.
VC added another run in the eighth frame, and sophomore Connor Cucalon worked two scoreless innings to secure the wins. Werline was 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Brooks English had two hits in five at-bats. Casey scored three runs in game two, as all but one VC hitter had a hit in the nightcap.
Berg went seven innings, earning his sixth win of the season for Vassar, as he allowed five hits and three runs (one earned), striking out four while walking four. Freshman
Greg Geisel went six and a third, surrendering four earned runs and six hits.
Carbone was the lone Union hitter in game two with a multiple-hit affair, scoring once and driving in a run, while Caruso and sophomore infielder
Jeff Grasso each posted hits for the Dutchmen.
The Dutchmen will take on Williams College
Tuesday afternoon at
4 p.m. in Schenectady, NY.
