SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Sophomore Ellie Wintringer blasted her fourth home run of the season and first-year Sophia Burynski picked up a team-high three hits in Union's doubleheader against VTSU Castleton Wednesday afternoon, but it wouldn't be enough as the Garnet Chargers dropped to the Spartans, 9-1 and 11-8.
 
Wintringer's three-run shot saw the sophomore push her streak of hits to 11 of the last 13 games while driving in eight runs in the last seven contests. Burynski's two-hit game in game two of the doubleheader was the first multi-hit game of the first year's young career, and the rookie notched her first two collegiate doubles with a two-bagger in each game.
 
Game One: VTSU Castleton 9, Union 1 (5 Innings)
 
VTSU Castleton raced out to a 9-0 lead after three innings, taking advantage of seven unearned runs charged to Union pitching to build their lead.
 
Union's offense didn't awaken until the fourth inning, when first-year Maddy Ewald drew a walk to become Union's first baserunner. Classmate Sam Rose singled with one away in the fifth to tally Union's first hit before Burynski doubled to move Rose to third. Sophomore Elizabeth Werner drove Rose in on a groundout to score Union's lone run of the opening game as the Garnet Chargers would fall in five.
 
Junior Riley Callahan pitched two shutout innings in relief, allowing just one hit.
 
Game Two: VTSU Castleton 11, Union 8
 
Union took the game's first lead in the back half of the doubleheader, scoring a run in the second inning after a pair of hits in the first had the offense started early. Back-to-back leadoff singles from Rose and first-year Cassie Wiggins put runners on first and second, and after classmate Sophia Gomes moved them up on a sacrifice bunt, Rose scored on junior Melody Kappel's groundout.
 
Wiggins increased Union's lead to two one inning later. Sophomore Haley Gibbons walked with one out and moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on Wiggins' single into left-center field.
 
Castleton's offense struck back beginning in the fourth, putting up a six spot- all with two outs- to take a four-run advantage.
 
Union got three back in the home half. On three consecutive pitches, Callahan singled, Burynski doubled, and Wintringer blasted her three-run bomb over the left field fence to make it a 6-5 game.
 
Three consecutive hits culminated in a two-run single for the Spartans in the top of the fifth before three two-out base knocks and an error gave the visitors three more runs in the sixth to extend Castleton's lead up to half a dozen.
 
Union pulled themselves back into the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth. With two strikes, two outs, and the bases loaded, Gomes singled into right to bring in junior Tatum Perkins and Rose. Kappel followed with a single right back where it came from to score first-year Maddy Ewald, and Union's deficit was cut back down to three.
 
The Garnet Chargers brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh after Wintringer walked and Gibbons singled, but wouldn't be able to cash in as they dropped game two, 11-8.
 
Each of Union's starters put notches in the hit column as the 14 Garnet Chargers hits were tied for the team's second-most in a game this season. Burynski was joined by Perkins, Gibbons, Wiggins, and Gomes with two hits apiece, with Gomes and Kappel each tallying two runs batted in.
 
After a pair of home midweek doubleheaders, Union (6-20) returns to the road this weekend, when they visit RIT on Saturday with massive playoff implications on the line heading into the final week and a half of the regular season.