AMSTERDAM, N.Y.--The Union College baseball team outscored Bard 24-3 over two games to secure its second Liberty League sweep of the season, Sunday afternoon at Shuttleworth Park. The Dutchmen won game one 5-1 and rolled to a 19-2 win in game two.
Union, which extends its winning streak to five, moves to 16-10 overall and 11-5 in the Liberty League, while the Raptors go to 8-20 overall and 3-13 in the conference.
Starting pitcher Andy Labeck earned the win in game one in his first mound appearance of the season. He scattered one run on five hits and three walks while striking out four over five innings.
First-year infielder Sean Cullen gave the Dutchmen a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first with an RBI groundout. Kent Curran ripped a leadoff double down the right-field line and advanced to second on a wild pitch before scoring on the Cullen grounder.
Jack Hawk tied the game with a leadoff home run in the top of the third, but Union responded with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Nate Olson drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third on Matt Catalfo's double in the next at-bat. Anthony Amoroso plated Olson with an RBI groundout and Jake Vesling blooped a double down the right field line, scoring Catalfo to make it 3-1.
In the fifth, Curran drove in Amoroso with his second double of the day and Joe Ganim hit an RBI single to extended the lead to 5-1.
The Raptors threatened in the top of the sixth, loading the bases with two outs, but Bill Christopher got Chris Blake to ground out to end the inning.
Bard loaded the bases again in the seventh, but again Christopher worked out of the jam, striking out Matt Lasky and getting Jeff Goldrosen to ground out for his third save of the season.
Raptors starter Ryan Zigner suffered the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks over four innings.
In game two, the Dutchmen erupted for 10 runs on six hits in the first inning, sending 14 batters to the plate. Cullen and Wiley Knight each had a two-run double, Kent Curran had a pair of RBI singles and Vesling hit an RBI double.
Bard got on the board in the third, but Union added three runs in the fourth on an error, a Labeck double and a Colin Kelly sacrifice fly.
The Dutchmen piled on five more in the eighth on a Jack Meyers two-run double, a Sam Kirschenbaum two-run home run and a Greg Dougherty RBI ground-rule double down the left field line for the 19-2 final.
Curran led the offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Cullen also had a multiple hit game, finishing 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored.
First-year pitcher Josh Garber improved to 2-0. allowing two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out four over six innings. Drew Johnson, Colin Nye and Nick Williams each tossed an inning of shutout relief.
Steve Marotta allowed 10 runs (six earned) on five hits over two-thirds of an inning in the loss.
The Dutchmen go on the road to take on Oneonta at 4 p.m., Tuesday, April 25.
