SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – The Union College baseball team scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back as the Garnet Chargers rolled to a 21-3 (7 inn.) victory over Bard College in the rubber match of their three-game Liberty League series on a cool and rainy Monday night at the Buck Ewing "A" Diamond at Central Park.
 
Nine players had at least one hit and 14 scored at least one run in the romp, which saw Union (16-6, 4-2 Liberty League) score 21 runs on only 12 hits thanks in part to 14 walks and six hit-batters from Bard pitching.
 
Junior Caleb Miller recorded a team-best three hits in four at-bats, driving in two runs and scoring twice. Junior Brendan McCormick had his first two collegiate hits, including a homer, while driving in three runs, and senior Kyle Zaslaw led all players with four RBIs thanks to one swing of the bat in the fourth. Senior Sam Strazza also had an eventful game despite not recording an official at-bat, driving in a pair of runs by being hit by pitches as part of a three-HBP, one-walk night.
 
Union took advantage of some wild pitching to score five runs on only two hits in the bottom of the first. After the first two runs came home on a walk and hit batter with the bases loaded, McCormick drove in his first run of the day with a groundout and senior Dan Sheeran followed with a two-run single.
 
Following a scoreless second, McCormick recorded his first collegiate hit and made it a memorable one, sending the ball over the left-field fence for a two-run homer to put the home team up by seven after three frames.
 
The Garnet Chargers put up another crooked number in the fourth inning, sending 15 batters to the plate and tacking on nine runs to take a 16-0 lead. Miller plated the first run with a single, and Zaslaw followed with the big blow, a grand slam down the left field line to bring Union into double digits. Miller added a second RBI single later in the inning and Strazza recorded his second RBI of the day without an official at-bat after being hit by a pitch for the third time in four plate appearances.
 
Junior JT Psirogianes provided another highlight leading off the bottom of the sixth inning, lacing a ball over the fence in left-center for his first collegiate four-bagger. First-year Curtis Couillard added his first hit and RBI with a single and classmate Michael Del also drove in his first collegiate run by drawing a bases-loaded walk later in the inning.
 
Sophomore Jacob Skarlis (1-3) battled the elements to toss five innings and earn his first collegiate win for Union, with only a three-run homer in the fifth blemishing a five-hit, three-strikeout effort. Junior Alex Oppenheimer and sophomore Ethan Weitz both pitched a scoreless inning to close out the mercy-rule win.
 
Union will return to action with a busy weekend of crossover conference play, beginning on Saturday with two games against Rochester Institute of Technology starting at noon at Central Park.