JACKSON, Tenn.- The Union University baseball team was swept in a three game series over the weekend against Blue Mountain (Miss.) College to fall to 0-4 on the season. Blue Mountain improved to 4-2 after the three wins.
 
Friday Game
Union came out swinging in the bottom of the first inning with Caleb Warnimont leading off with a single to the left side of the and was moved to second off of a sacrifice bunt from Brady Cook. Two batters Jim Martin found himself down 0-2 in the count before he was hit in the hip with an off-speed pitch that put Hunter Smith up to the plate. Smith was able to smoke a line drive into the right center field gap to plate the first to runs of the game and give Union a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.
 
Blue Mountain wasted no time evening the score pushing two runs across thanks to an RBI triple from Michia Heard and an RBI single from Brandon Berry in the top of the second. The Toppers continued their rally in the third inning of play off of two hits and an error from freshman shortstop Austin Orr.
 
After adding an additional run in the fourth inning, Blue Mountain managed to put two more runners on base and bring Seth Davis to the plate who hit a line drive homerun that just snuck over the left field corner to make the score 10-2.
 
Union managed to scratch across a run in the bottom half of the seventh after Shane Wilder lead off the inning with a line drive single over the shortstop. Once reaching base, Wilder then stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch that put him in position to score on the sacrifice fly from Trae Bain to make the score 10-3 and kept some hope alive of battling back once again after coming back from a five run deficit to force extra innings the previous night.
 
The Bulldogs would have no such come back after the Toppers went on to put five more runs on the board to set the final at 15-3.
 
Offensively Union only managed four hits on the afternoon with Austin Orr adding a single in the sixth.
 
Skyler Harrison got the ball for his first career start on the mound Friday afternoon and managed to complete 6.1 innings of work while allowing 10 runs, eight of those being earned, 10 hits and five walks to earn the loss. Andrew Wilson made his second appearance of the season throwing one inning and giving up four runs on three hits.
 
Blue Mountain had an impressive day at the plate with 14 hits with six of those being for extra bases. Davis led the Toppers going 4-for-4 with a double, home run, three RBI's and three runs scored. Heard also had an impressive day going 2-for-4 with two triples in the contest.
 
Reed Davis earned the win for Blue Mountain tossing seven complete innings only allowing three earned runs and striking out three Bulldogs.
 
Saturday (Game 1)
Blue Mountain jumped out to a 9-0 lead after the top of the second inning after scoring four runs in the first and five in the second on six total hits. Cody Shrewsbury crushed a long fly ball to the right center gap for his first homerun of the season in the second inning plating two runs for the Toppers.
 
Union answered back in the bottom of the third inning with three runs of their own after hits from Caleb Warnimont and Austin Orr while Jim Martin and Hunter Smith followed them up with singles of their own to drive both Orr and Warnimont in.
 
Blue Mountain added seven more runs to their total and hold on for a 16-4 win.
 
Union scored four runs on 12 hits in the first game of the double with Caleb Warnimont going 4-for-4 with a double. Orr added another hit to finish the game 2-for-4 with Smith going 2-for-3 with two RBI's.
 
Preston Thompson started the game on the mound for the Bulldogs, going 4.2 innings giving up 12 runs, nine earned, on 10 hits with five walks and two strikeouts in the loss. Smith came on in relief for Thompson tossing 2.1 innings giving up four earned runs on seven hits.
 
Leo Delmar led the Toppers and went 4-for-4 with four runs scored and a double while Seth Davis went 2-for-4 with four RBI's and three runs scored. Justin Whitaker also added four RBI's while going 2-for-5 with a double.
 
Dylan Earnest threw a complete game to earn the win for Blue Mountain going seven innings giving up four runs on 12 hits and recording nine strikeouts.
 
Saturday (Game 2)
With the Toppers leading 1-0 in the top of third, Cole McBride came to the plate with two runners on and smashed one over the right field fence for a 3-run homerun. Blue Mountain tacked another run on the board in the fourth and two more in the fifth to lead 7-0 over the Bulldogs.
 
After two rough losses earlier in the series to Blue Mountain and already down in game three, Union continued to work hard. In the bottom of the fifth Union got things rolling with Shane Wilder reaching base on a leadoff single. Caleb Warnimont then reached on a walk and Orr on a single that brought freshman Ty Warnimont to the plate who drew the walk that got Union on the board. Later in the inning after scoring two more runs, Chaz Wilson hit a double into the left center gap scoring both Ty Warnimont and Hunter Smith putting the Bulldogs within two runs of the Toppers.
 
Both teams scored runs in the eighth inning to go into the ninth with Blue Mountain leading 8-6. Trae Bain worked out of trouble in the top of the ninth inning to hold the Toppers scoreless and give his team the chance to make a comeback.
 
Parks Flowers led off the inning with a walk followed by Wilson being hit by a pitch and Shane Wilder drawing another walk to load the bases with one out. Leadoff man Caleb Warnimont was also hit by a pitch to force Flowers home and bring Union within one run. Blue Mountain made a pitching change with one out and the bases loaded to bring in closer Manning James to the bump. James struck out both Orr and Ty Warnimont to seal the sweep.
 
Chaz Wilson had another good game at the plate going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI's while Jim Martin went 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI's
 
Freshman Marty Coursey made his first collegiate start on the mound for the Bulldogs going 5.2 innings giving up seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits while striking out six and walking three. Coursey received the loss in the game. Trae Bain came on in relief tossing 3.1 innings giving up one unearned run on three hits.
 
Blue Mountain was led by Cole McBride in the second game of the double header going 4-for-5 with two doubles, a homerun, three RBI's and scoring three times.
 
Colin McCrory started the game on the mound for the Toppers going 4.1 giving up five runs, only one earned, on three hits while walking eight Bulldogs. Jose Delmar relieved McCrory in the fifth to throw four innings giving up two earned runs on six hits and striking out five.
 
Union will have a single game at Freed-Hardeman University on Tuesday, February 10, at 5:00 p.m. before starting conference play against Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn. February 14.
 
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