ROCHESTER, NY – Liberty League Tournament top seed and 25th-ranked RIT moved into the Liberty League Championship game after defeating the second seeded Union College baseball team, 6-2 on Friday morning from Tiger Stadium in a winner's bracket game. RIT will play the winner of Union and No. 3 seed Clarkson to start the championship round in the double elimination tournament. If Clarkson wins, game one of the championship round will take place at 4 p.m. Friday. If Union wins, game one will be Saturday at 11 a.m.
 
The Dutchmen go to 21-14, while RIT, which has won 11 straight and is 25-1 over its last 26 contests, goes to 32-7.
 
The Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three innings and rode their strong pitching and defense to the victory, as the squad has now won 21 straight contests against Liberty League foes. The Tigers did not make an error for the 17th time this season and turned two double plays.
 
RIT first-year pitcher Stevie Branche won his fourth straight decision, allowing just two hits and a run over 5 1/3 innings, while walking four batters and striking out five. Junior Brett Bouchard came on in relief with two on and one out in the sixth, got out of the jam and pitched the rest of the way to earn his sixth save of the season. Bouchard tossed 3 2/3 innings of relief, allowing four hits and a run, while walking one batter and striking out three.
 
Six different Dutchmen had hits. First-year infielder Sean Cullen scored and drove in a run. On the mound, Jake Vesling took the loss, allowing eight hits and six runs (three earned), while walking three batters and striking out five in seven innings. Adam Ashenfarb pitched a scoreless eighth inning in relief.
 
The Tigers took advantage of a Union error in the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Myers led off with a double to center field. After a groundout, Sammon hit a comebacker right to Vesling, who made an errant throw while attempting to throw Myers out heading to third, which went out of play, allowing the run to score.
 
In the third inning, RIT once again took advantage of a Union error to score a pair of unearned runs in a three-run third inning. Brett Kaiganich hit a leadoff single, and an errant throw put runners on first and third with one out. RIT would take advantage, as Patrick Mylott singled into center field, scoring Kajganich to make it 2-0 Tigers. Sammon singled to right center, scoring Myers for RIT's third run and Daniel Capra hit a RBI groundout.
 
Union would get one back in the fourth inning, taking advantage of three consecutive walks. With one out and the bases loaded, Cullen would ground out to second, driving in Anthony Amoroso, but Branche would limit the damage, getting a strikeout to end the inning.
 
RIT would get the run back in the fifth inning, as Daniel Zeglen singled and two batters later, came around to score on an opposite-field single by Sammon to make it 5-1.
 
Union would threaten in the sixth, getting runners on first and second with one out before Bouchard replaced Branche on the mound. Senior captain Kent Curran would single, loading the bases, before Bouchard recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning.
 
Schulz would add to the RIT lead in the bottom of the inning, hitting a solo home run over the left field fence for his first of the season, making it a 6-1 game.
 
From there, Bouchard and the RIT defense did the rest, getting a pair of double plays, as the team advanced to the Liberty League Championship round for the second time in three seasons.