POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y.—The Union College baseball team clinched its third Liberty League regular season title in four seasons, completing a four-game sweep against Vassar with a pair of wins Sunday in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Union took game one 4-2 before an 8-5 win in game two.
The Dutchmen, who have won six straight, finish the regular season with an overall record of 22-12 and a league mark of 15-7. The Brewers end the year at 18-21 overall and 12-12 in the conference.
In game one,
Kent Curran put Union in front with an RBI single in the first inning and
Joe Ganim added to the lead in the third with a single through the left side.
The Brewers broke through on a Brooks English sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third before tying the game in the fifth when Nick Johnson delivered an RBI single to centerfield.Â
After a scoreless sixth, the Dutchmen rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh.
Devin Coffey and Curran started the frame with back-to-back singles and
Harrison Glatt added a single to load the bases. Ganim plated Coffey with a fielder's choice and
Nate Olson drove a single through the right side in the next-bat to bring in Curran.
Union senior
Jamie Faber pitched two innings of no-hit relief, improving to 2-0 on the season. Curran finished 2-for-3 for the game with two runs scored and an RBI and Glatt and
Anthony Amoroso were each 2-for-4.
Connor Cucalon suffered the loss for the Brewers, surrendering two earned runs on four hits over 1 2/3 innings.
The Dutchmen struck quickly again in game two, erupting for five runs in the first.
Jake Vesling ripped a leadoff double to right center and Curran registered his second RBI of the day two batters later with a single up the middle.
Eric Egan followed with a double to left and Glatt and Ganim registered back-to-back RBI singles, extending the lead to 3-0. A throwing error on a Ganim stolen base allowed Glatt to score, and Amoroso capped the charge with an RBI single.
Union starter
Nick Williams kept held the Brewers scoreless until the fifth, when Vassar pulled back within two on a Mike Koscielniak RBI double to right and a two-run single by Bobby Kinne.
Egan pushed the Dutchmen ahead 6-3 with an RBI single in the seventh, but Johnson responded for the Brewers in the bottom half of the inning with an RBI single of his own.
Both teams added a run in the eighth, and that's as close as Vassar would get. Glatt added an RBI single in the top of the ninth and Faber allowed just one hit in the bottom of the ninth for his second save of the year.
Faber tossed 2 2/3 innings of relief, giving up one run on three hits with three strikeouts and no walks.
Ryan Kuchar registered the win on the mound to move to 4-1, allowing one earned run on three hits with one strikeout and no walks over 1 2/3 innings.
Glatt finished 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, Curran went 2-for-4 with two run scored and an RBI and Amoroso was 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Vassar starter Jonathan Hong surrendered five runs (five earned) on 11 hits, while striking out two and walking none over five innings.
Union will host the Liberty League tournament May 12-14 at Shuttleworth Park in Amsterdam, N.Y. The full tournament schedule will be posted at www.unionathletics.com.
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