PURCHASE, N.Y. – First-year
Dennis Mulhearn walked it off for the Union College baseball team to open the doubleheader against SUNY Purchase on Saturday afternoon at PC Baseball Field with a 4-3 win, then senior
Caleb Miller hit a go-ahead grand slam in the eighth inning of the second game as the Garnet Chargers ended up crushing the Panthers 19-11.
Game 1
Despite playing over 150 miles away from Schenectady, Union was the home team in the doubleheader at Purchase's field. After a scoreless top of the first, Union was looking to do some damage against the Panthers early.
First-year Evan Lagemann was the second Garnet Charger to be hit by a pitch in the bottom of the first, loading the bases with two outs. After Union was unable to produce a run in the opening frame, Brandon Reybok retired eight of the next 10 Garnet Chargers he faced.
Junior Benjamin Raphael started cracking Reybok's code and worked a walk to lead off the fifth, and sophomore Dylan Swarts brought him in two batters later with a home run. It marked his second game in a row with a homer. As a first-year, he homered three times in a six game span from April 19 - April 27.
After the Panthers tied the game up during the next half inning, senior Alex Oppenheimer made his way to the mound and struck out the side in the seventh. Union went down in order during its next trip to the plate, forcing extra innings as the game was originally scheduled to only go seven.
The Garnet Chargers had their backs against the wall in extras after the Panthers took a 3-2 lead and with Reybok back on the mound aiming to finish off his dominant start against Union. He had only allowed three hits through his first seven innings of work, but Swarts tagged him for a second time to lead off the eighth, doubling down the left-field line. He scored on a single from senior Cooper Ames, knocking Reybok out of the game.
Senior Brendan McCormick walked in Union's first at bat against the Purchase bullpen, loading the bases. Then Mulhearn came up and delivered the walkoff hit to center, scoring a pinch runner, sophomore Will Kelly. Mulhearn earned his first collegiate hit on the game-winning single in only his second at bat for Union.
Game 2
The Panthers seemed to be in the driver's seat to avenge the walkoff loss on their own field and scored 10 of the game's first 11 runs. However, Union started chipping away with RBI-base knocks in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.
Trailing 11-6 entering the eighth, Swarts went to the mound to try and keep Union within striking distance. He allowed three hits but only faced five Panthers during his scoreless assignment.
Swarts was due up sixth in the bottom half of the inning, and by the time he stepped to the plate, Union only trailed by three thanks to a two-run home run from senior Nico Lambros. Swarts singled and loaded the bases for Miller three batters later.
Miller smashed a grand slam and put Union in the lead. His 19th career dinger gave him 103 RBI, surpassing the century mark with one swing. Miller had scored his 100th career run in the first game of his senior season, and with his five RBI on Saturday, he became the fourth player in program history to have 100+ runs and 100+ RBI in a career.
Union poured on 13 runs in the eighth inning with eight hits. Lambros and Swarts both had two hits in the inning, and first-year Jack McKillop and Ames both walked twice as Union built a 19-11 lead.
Swarts stayed in to pitch the ninth and struck out two Panthers as he retired the side in order, capping off a wild Saturday on the diamond for Union.
The Garnet Chargers return to play on Friday, March 20 at 2 p.m. against Hamilton College. That date with the Continentals begins a five-game road trip to Florida for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.
