AMSTERDAM, N.Y.--The Union College baseball team scored 19 runs over two games en route to a Liberty League sweep of Skidmore in the conference opener for both teams, Sunday evening at Shuttleworth Park.
The Dutchmen (4-5, 2-0 Liberty) rolled to a 7-1 win in game one and battled to a 12-9 come-from-behind win in game two. Skidmore moves to 5-5 on the season and 0-2 in conference action.
In the first game of the day,
Jake Vesling improved to 2-1 on the mound, pitching a four-hit complete game and allowing just one earned run, while striking out five and walking four.
The Dutchmen took a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Matt Catalfo led off with a ground-rule double and later scored on a passed ball.
Sean Cullen drove in
Anthony Amoroso with a single through the right side and
Sam Kirschenbaum made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly to left field.
Nate Olson brought in the final run of the inning, drawing a bases-loaded walk.
After two scoreless innings, the Thoroughbreds finally got on the board in the fourth when Pat Geiger belted a solo home run to left-center, but Union tacked on four runs in the sixth to pull away.
Zack Twitchell delivered a leadoff single and later scored on an Amoroso two-out single to center. Labeck extended the inning with a walk and
Kent Curran knocked in Amoroso with a single. Labeck scored the final run of the game on a throwing error, giving Union the 7-1 win.
Andrew Aikins suffered the loss for Skidmore, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits over five and two-thirds innings.
The Thoroughbreds rebounded quickly in game two, jumping on to a 2-0 lead in top of the first on a Josh Brown two-run home run. Steven Gilbert extended the lead to 3-0 in the second with a two-out RBI single.
Union chipped away and its deficit with single runs in the third and fourth innings.
Wiley Knight scored on a wild pitch in the third and
Colin Kelly brought the Dutchmen within one with a two-out RBI double in the fourth.
Hayden Smith gave the Thoroughbreds a two-run cushion in the top of the fourth with a two-out RBI single, but Union answered with three runs in the sixth.
Curran started the charge with a leadoff double down the right field line and Cullen and Kelly each drew a walk to load the bases. Knight brought the Dutchmen back within one with a sacrifice fly and Twitchell gave Union its first lead, ripping a two-out, two-run double off the wall in left-center.
Skidmore answered immediately, piling on four runs with a two-out rally in the top of the seventh to pull back in front, 8-5. Ryan Strickland reached with a walk and stole second before Shankar Mani roped an RBI single down the right-field line. Steven Gilbert and Daniel Dasgupta produced back-to-back singles to load the bases and Brown was hit by a pitch, putting the Thoroughbreds ahead 6-5. Pat Geiger pulled a two-run single through the left side in the next at-bat, restoring the three-run advantage at 8-5.
The Dutchmen remained unphased, striking for six runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a 12-8 lead. Amoroso hit a leadoff homerun to left field and Labeck scored on a wild pitch to bring Union within one. Three runs came into score on a Knight single because an error in the outfield and Cullen plated Twitchell with a single up the middle. Curran scored on an error for the final run of the inning.
Brown generated the game's final run, driving in Gilbert with a single to right field for the 12-9 final.
Twitchell finished 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI, while Curran was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
Brown led the Skidmore offense, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs scored
First-year
Sam Mikell earned his first career win on the mound, allowing one run on one hit in two and one-third innings of relief. Chris Reenstierna took the loss for Skidmore.
Union closes out its regular season series with Skidmore with a doubleheader tomorrow at Castle Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
