TROY, N.Y. – The Union College baseball team started the final weekend of the regular season on the wrong end of a 6-4 loss to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in game one of a three-game Liberty League series on Friday afternoon at Robison Field.
 
The loss drops Union (20-14, 6-4 Liberty League East) into third place in the division, one game back of RPI (22-11, 7-3 Liberty League East). The Garnet Chargers will need to win both games against the Engineers on Sunday to move up to second place in the conference standings and host a conference crossover weekend series.
 
Union managed only three hits on the day, recording only one each against three different Engineer pitchers, but still left 10 men on base thanks to eight walks. First-year Dylan Swarts had a solo home run and junior Andrew Keaveney walked three times and scored a run for the visitors.
 
After Union left four runners on base over the first three innings, RPI struck for three unearned runs in the bottom of the third to take the lead, with all the damage coming after the first two batters were retired. Union stranded two more in the fourth and the Engineers came back with three more runs in the bottom half to double the lead, with the big hit a two-run homer from Julian Scarpa.
 
The Garnet Chargers had their first successful rally of the day in the eighth inning, scoring three times without the benefit of a hit to halve the deficit. Two walks and an error allowed senior Sam Strazza to cross the plate for Union's first run, and that was followed by another walk to sophomore Noah DiCaprio to load the bases. Sophomore Ryan Kolodziejczyk was hit by a pitch and junior Cooper Ames walked to drive in two more runs, but the visitors left the bases loaded.
 
Swarts hit a solo homer with one out in the ninth to get Union within two, but that was the closest the visitors would get.
 
Senior Chris Suter (6-4) took the loss for Union, allowing six runs (three earned) on eight hits over four innings. Sophomore Brendan Reid tossed 3.2 innings of scoreless relief to keep the Garnet Chargers in the game, striking out two. Mike Nelson (4-0) pitched six innings of one-hit ball to earn the win for the Engineers.
 
Union will look to rebound on Sunday, when the team celebrates Senior Day before a doubleheader with the Engineers. Game one is set to begin at noon at Central Park.