AMSTERDAM, N.Y. – Senior Matt Toy went 4-for-6 with four runs batted in and four runs scored to lead a relentless Union College offensive attack as the second-seeded Dutchmen advanced to the Liberty League championship game with an 18-9 victory over third-seeded Ithaca College on Wednesday afternoon at Shuttleworth Park.
 
With the victory, Union (12-7) advances to the Liberty League Tournament title game against the University of Rochester, which defeated Clarkson University by a 13-8 score in Wednesday's other semifinal.
 
Toy was one of many Dutchmen to have big days at the plate on Wednesday, launching a three-run homer and adding three more hits in six trips to the plate. Senior Chris O'Brien also homered and drove in three runs as part of a 2-for-5 day, while classmate Jack Koch had two hits, drove in three, scores three times and walked twice.
 
Union set the tone for the game early, scoring five times in the bottom of the first on just two hits to jump out to an early lead. Three straight walks by Ithaca starter Buzz Shirley loaded the bases with no outs, and senior Kevin Chaimowitz followed with a two-run double off the wall in left field to start the scoring. The next batter was Toy, who launched a ball over the fence in left to plate three more Dutchmen runs.
 
The Dutchmen kept up the attack, getting an RBI single from senior Joey Palko in the second and an RBI triple from Koch in the third to build up an 8-2 lead. Ithaca scored four in the top of the fourth to get within two, but Union responded with four of its own in the bottom half, helped by an O'Brien two-run homer, a double steal by senior Chris Symington and Sebastian Pike, and another Palko RBI single.
 
Ithaca managed to keep Union off the scoreboard in the sixth and seventh innings to again get within four at 13-9, but the home team put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the eighth, thanks to run-scoring singles from Toy, O'Brien and Pike and a two-run single by Koch.
 
Junior James Salemme got the start for Union on short rest and allowed six runs on five hits in 3.2 innings. Senior Chris Murdock (1-1) earned the win by tossing 1.1 innings of one-hit relief, while sophomore Ben Mlavsky closed out the game with four innings of two-run, five-hit ball to pick up his first career save.
 
Shirley (3-1) suffered the loss for Ithaca, allowing eight runs and walking five in 2.2 innings, as the Bombers walked 12 batters over eight innings.