Union College scored three runs in the top of the 11th inning and the visiting Dutchmen defeated Hamilton College, 16-13, in a non-conference game played at Royce Field on April 29.
Hamilton (13-19 overall) forced the 11th inning with three runs in the bottom of the 10th after Union had scored three times in the top half of the inning. The Continentals had 17 hits, including six doubles, and took advantage of nine errors by the Dutchmen. Union (10-19) finished with 18 hits, including three home runs.
Grady Vigneau '10 led Hamilton with three doubles and three RBI. Sam Choate '12 hit his 10th double of the season to go along with two singles, two RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Choate broke the team record for runs and stolen bases in a season with 30 and 15. John Porges '07 held both records previously with 29 runs in 2005 and 14 steals in 2007.
Gideon Clark '09, Alex Augustyn '10, Wes Mayberry '11 and Pat Gennaco '11 each had two hits. Augustyn boomed his team-high 12th double of the season and one of Gennaco's hits was a double as well. Clark drove in two runs.
Union led 3-2 after three innings on the strength of a three-run homer over the net in left field in the top of the third inning, but the hosts put together a five-run fourth to take a brief 7-3 lead. The teams exchanged the lead four times until the Continentals found themselves down 10-9 going into the bottom of the seventh. Choate's double brought in Joe Buicko '11 with the tying run on a head-first slide into home. The teams hung on to the 10-10 tie through nine innings.
Union scored three runs in the top of the 10th on three hits and three walks (one intentional), but the hosts were not ready to fold. Augustyn's double drove in Choate, who had led off the inning with a single. Mayberry used a sacrifice fly to score Clark, who had reached on an infield error. Vigneau stepped up to the plate with two out and delivered a hard double into the net in left field to bring Augustyn home with the tying run.
Max Foster '10 took the loss for the Continentals. Foster faced six batters in the 10th and 11th innings just a day after he threw five shutout innings in a 7-4 win at SUNY Institute of Technology. He allowed two runs on three hits, walked one and struck out one in one inning.
Jake Saidman '09 started and pitched six innings. Saidman allowed five earned runs on seven hits, walked four and tied a season-high with seven strikeouts. Augustyn tossed three scoreless innings of relief to help get Hamilton to extra innings. He allowed two hits and fanned two.
Hamilton hosts Amherst College on Saturday, May 2, for Senior Day and a New England Small College Athletic Conference West Division game.
