CLINTON, Miss.- The Union University baseball team picked up their first win of the season with a split in a conference double-header against Mississippi College. Union improved to 1- 4 in Gulf South Conference play and 1-9 overall while the Choctaws moved to 2-3 in conference and 7-3 overall.
 
GAME 1: MC 3, Union 2 (16 innings)
In the first game of the afternoon Mississippi College got on the board early with a sacrifice fly to right field off of the bat of Colton Caver that scored Akiko Thompson.
 
Union answered in the top of the fourth on an RBI single from Trae Bain that scored Jim Martin from second base.
 
With the game tied at 1-1 going into the ninth inning, Martin reached base safely on a single to lead off the inning and then was replaced by Davis Shoemaker on second base after a sacrifice bunt from Daniel Mathis. Shoemaker then moved to third on a single from Bain and then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly from Brady Cook.
 
Then in the bottom half of the ninth inning, Mississippi College managed to load the bases with one out against Andrew Wilson who came in to pitch at the beginning of the inning. Logan Ferrell then singled to right field scoring Marty Stringfellow from third with Kyle Smith, the winning run, being thrown out at home by Cook for the second out of the inning. Union would get the third out in the bottom of the ninth to force extras.
 
Mississippi College would have chances to put the game away with bases loaded in the bottom of the 11^th inning and runners at first and second in the bottom of the 12^th. The Choctaws would finally put one across in the bottom of the 16^th inning to win the game on a fielder's choice that scored Thompson from third base.
 
Union pitched well in the extra inning loss with Marty Coursey starting the game going eight innings giving up one run on six hits and was replaced by Wilson who went seven innings giving up a run on seven hits. Mathis relieved Wilson in the bottom of the 16^th and would only face on batter who reached on a walk before being replaced by Trae Bain who recorded two outs before allowing the final run to score. Mathis would earn the loss in the game.
 
Martin led the way for the Bulldogs going 2-for-4 with a run scored while freshman Austin Orr went 3-for-6 and Bain who went 3-for-7 with an RBI.
 
Brooks Fortenberry started the game for Mississippi College going eight innings giving up one run on six hits while recording 10 strikeouts. Andy Olmstead and Tyler Scholl came into the game in relief while Grady Turman tossed the final 1.2 innings to earn the win for the Choctaws.
 
At the plate, Thompson led Mississippi College going 2-for-5 with two runs scored and Ferrell who went 3-for-7 with an RBI.
 
GAME 2: Union 10, MC 3
After the marathon in game 1 of the double header, Union got their bats going jumping out to a 4-0 lead after the top of the third inning. Chaz Wilson led the Bulldogs in the early innings with an RBI single in the top of the first scoring Martin and a solo home run to left in the top of the third.
 
Mississippi College got on the board in the bottom of the third inning off an RBI single from Hunter Bolin that scored Ferrell and an RBI double off of the bat of Hunter Hall that set the score at 4-2 with Union ahead going into the fourth inning.
 
Union broke the game open with a four run top of the sixth after hits from Parks Flowers, Caleb Warnimont, Chaz Wilson, Ty Warnimont and Brady Cook. The Bulldogs added two more in the top of the seventh with a two RBI single from Martin that scored Caleb Warnimont and Orr.
 
Mississippi College put another run on the board in the bottom of the seventh that set the final at 10-3 in favor of the Bulldogs.
 
Martin led Union at the plate going 3-for-5 with three RBI's and two runs scored while Chaz Wilson also went 3-for-5 with two RBI's and a run scored. Caleb Warnimont went 2-for-5 on the day with three runs scored with Orr and Flowers each scoring twice in the game.
 
On the mound for Union, Skyler Harrison started the game going six innings giving up two runs on six hits to earn the win. Bain came on to pitch in the seventh inning giving up one run on one hit to finish out the game.
 
Taylor Olsen started the game for the Choctaws throwing 5.1 innings giving up seven runs, three earned, on nine hits and earned the loss. Andy Olmsted came into the game in the sixth inning and gave up 3 runs on five hits. Bolin, Caver and Ferrell each scored a run in the game for Mississippi College.
 
Union will finish out their conference series with Mississippi College with a single game on Friday, February 20^th, at 1:00 p.m. before travelling to Arkansas-Monticello on Tuesday, February 24^th, for a single game at 2:00 p.m.
 
#UNION#