SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Union College baseball team (23-7, 8-4) dropped a 12-11 heartbreaker in 11 innings to Skidmore College (18-12, 8-4) in game one of the series on Friday evening at Castle Diamond.
Sophomore
Caleb Miller's hit streak reached 19 games with four hits tonight against the Thoroughbreds. Senior
Kobe Mentzer also recorded four hits, three RBIs and a run scored. Four other Garnet Chargers recorded a multi-hit game.
The Union offense was quick to get on the board. McIlroy drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a groundout. Senior
Kobe Mentzer singled to center field to put Union up 1-0. Union loaded the bases later in the frame and junior
Sam Strazza drew a walk to put the visitors up by two. The Thoroughbreds took a one-run lead in the bottom of the frame off a three-run homerun by Sam Kornet.
Union regained the lead in the second. McIlroy hit a leadoff single and senior
Thomas Parisi reached on a fielding error to put runners on first and second. Sophomore
Caleb Miller tied the game with an RBI single to right field. Junior
Kyle Zaslaw followed it up with an RBI single to center field for the one-run lead.
The visitors extended the lead with three runs in the top of the third and they tacked on another two in the fourth. Strazza hit a leadoff double in the third and first-year
Noah DiCaprio hit an RBI single to put Union up 5-3. McIlroy doubled to put two on and a sac fly by Parisi and a single by Mentzer scored two. Heading into the fourth, DiCaprio hit an RBI single to center field and senior
Ryan Cowles reached on a fielder's choice to drive in Keaveney from third.
Skidmore struck back in the bottom of the fifth with three runs to make it a two-run game. A three-run homerun by Zachary Leiderman in the sixth gave Skidmore a 10-9 lead.
Union pushed back in the seventh inning with a pair of runs. Parisi singled, but made it to second on a throwing error. Mentzer drove a double into left field to knot the game at 10. Miller hit a double of his own for the go ahead run.
Skidmore was not done as Kornet hit his second homerun of the game in the eighth, a solo blast, to tie the game at 11.
Union put two runners on in both the 10
th and 11
th inning, but a bases-loaded single for Skidmore was the difference maker in the bottom of the 11
th to give the Thoroughbreds the win.
Junior
Chris Suter (3-1) started for the Garnet Chargers and pitched five innings and allowed seven runs on 10 hits with three strikeouts. Classmate
Cal Place pitched the sixth inning and allowed three runs, two earned, on two hits and a strikeout. Junior
Aidan McGee went 2.1 innings in relief with one run on four hits and a strikeout. Junior
Alex Erickson is tagged with the loss with one run on three hits and four strikeouts in two innings.
The series turns to Schenectady tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 11:00 a.m. at Central Park A Diamond. Union will honor the seven members of the senior class prior to the doubleheader with a ceremony beginning at 10:40 a.m.