WINTER HAVEN. Fla. – First-year Alex Casey struck out nine batters on his way to his first collegiate win as the Union College baseball team earned its first victory of Spring Break at the RussMatt Central Florida Classic Monday afternoon by taking down Knox College 9-3.

In his third start of the season for Union (5-7), Casey faced the minimum in the opening three innings, fanning four Knox (2-14) hitters. He only allowed one unearned run over seven innings and picked off a runner at second base to end his day. Casey faced the minimum in five of his seven innings of work.

The Garnet Chargers gave Casey plenty of run support throughout the day, scoring five times in the first four innings. Union racked up 17 hits as senior Andrew Keaveney led the way with a 3-4 performance at the dish.

Keaveney opened the scoring with a two-RBI single in the first., and first-year Jack McKillop also drove home a pair with a single in the fourth. Keaveney tallied his third and fourth RBI with another base knock in the sixth. Senior Caleb Miller scored for the second time on Keaveney's second run-scoring hit, giving him 108 career runs scored. Miller is two runs away from tying Jack Koch '21 for the program record (110). 

Already leading 8-1 after the sixth, Union found more production from six pinch hitters in the later innings. Sophomore Michael Del recorded his first collegiate hit with a pinch-hit double in the seventh, and first-year Braden White collected his first collegiate base knock on a single through the left side after entering the game as a new bat for Keaveney in the eighth. Sophomore Josiah Martinez pinch hit in the seventh and stayed in the game to play left field. During his second plate appearance, he drove home his classmate Dylan Swarts with a sacrifice fly. 

Junior Ryan Kolodziejczyk notched his first hit of the season while going 2-5 with a double. He was one of five Garnet Chargers with multiple hits on the day. 

First-year Evan Byrnes and junior Garrick Godin both struck out a Prairie Fire hitter during their one-inning relief appearances, totaling 11 Ks for the Union pitching staff on the day. That marks the most punchouts for Union in a game this season and most since March 25, 2025 against Elmhurst University.

The Garnet Chargers wrap up their Spring Break trip on Tuesday, March 24 at 4 p.m. The Mules are receiving votes in the most-recent d3baseball.com rankings.