ROCHESTER, NY – The Union College baseball team defeated the RIT Tigers 4-2 in game one before falling 7-4 in game two in Liberty League action on Saturday afternoon.
In game one, Union jumped out to the early lead in the top of the first inning, as
Jake Vesling led off with a double to right center field, moved over to a third on a bunt, and scored on ground out by
Jamie Faber. In the fourth inning, the Dutchmen manufactured a run to make it 2-0, as
Andy Labeck led off with a single, moved over on a bunt, and fly out, and scored on a wild pitch.
RIT would cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, as CJ Bolorin led off with a single to left field, stole second and third base and scored on a single by Taylor Hogan. The Dutchmen answered with a pair of insurance runs in the sixth inning to make it 4-1.
Vesling and Labeck scored a pair of runs apiece for the Dutchmen, while
Adam Ashenfarb did a masterful job keeping the RIT offense at bay, allowing five hits and one earned run in the complete-game win. He struck out eight Tigers and walked just two to pick up his team-leading fourth win of the season.
In game two, Union jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third as
Matt Ferdenzi scored on a wild pitch and Labeck singled in
Anders Goetz.
RIT got to Dutchmen starter
Ryan Kuchar in the fifth as Bolorin had the big hit for RIT with two outs in the inning, lacing a single to left field with the bases loaded, scoring Zack Zabel and Battaglia to tie the game at 2-2. Union appeared to be out of the inning before the two run single when when Flanagan grounded out with two outs, but he was awarded first base on catcher's interference.
In the sixth, the Tigers added another run to take the lead as Zabel hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded, scoring Hogan. In the seventh, RIT broke the game open, scoring four times of reliever Zach Blecher to increase the lead to 7-2.
Union scored twice in eighth as both
Eric Egan and
Jake Fishman came around to score on a throwing error by the Tigers' second basemen.
Egan and Fishman both were 2-for-4 to lead the "U" offense. Kuchar took the loss, the first of his career, allowing three runs (one earned) in five innings. He had five strikeouts to two walks.
The Dutchmen will conclude their regular season series with the Tigers on Sunday with a pair of games at noon.
