PENSACOLA, Fla. - The Union University baseball dropped all three games this weekend at the University of West Florida. Union lost Friday in the opening game of the 3-game series with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss in 12 innings. West Florida then swept Saturday's doubleheader, 8-5 and 12-2. Union dropped to 11-18 on the season and 4-14 in the Gulf South Conference. West Florida, who is receiving votes at No. 27, in the latest NCAA D2 national rankings, improved to 23-6 on the year, and 13-5 in league play. 

In game one, Union scored first with an unearned run in each the first and second inning to lead 2-0. West Florida responded with a run in the second and two more in the third to lead 3-2. Union regained the lead in the back and forth game with two in the fourth. Eli Gipson and Dyllon Barrett both produced RBI singles to put Union up 4-3. UWF added two in the fifth and one in the seventh to lead 6-5. Union then tied the game with two in the top of the eighth. Barret drove in two with another single. The score remained tied at six until the bottom of the 12th when UWF. doubled in the winning run. Kylon Joyner led Union with three hits,w hile Barrett led with three RBI. Jordan Allen and Gibson added two hits each. Lane Evans started and went five innings, allowing five run on seven hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Chris Troyer, Cole Lannom tossed a combined four innings of middle relief, allowing just one run combined. Carter Daniel (1-4) took the loss, tossing the final 2.1 innings of work, allowing just one run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks. 

Game two started badly for Union as the Bulldogs allowed six runs in the first inning. Union got on the board with three in the fourth and two in the seventh to battle back. However, insurance runs by UWF in the fourth and eighth set the final at 8-5. The 1-4 hitters in the Bulldog lineup each had two hits. Jorner, Berrett, Elijah Ramsey, and Grant Ross combined for eight of Union's nine total hits in game two. Ramsey led with two RBI. Takuma Sato (0-4) took the loss, allowing six run on five hits with a strikeout and walk in 0.2 innings. Alex Johnson, Eli Jackson, and Troyer tossed the final 7.1 innings very well, allowing a combined two runs, one earned on six hits with three strikeouts and three walks. 

The final game was all Argos, scoring a run in the second, seven in the third, and fourth in the fourth to lead 12-0. However, Union's defense sparked most of those runs with four errors, making only two of those 12 runs earned. Union added two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single from Jake Keyl and a fielder's choice RBI from Ethan Quinn. Union managed just two hits in the game, one form Cody Tjomsland and one off the bench from Keyl. Nathan Myers (3-2) started and took the loss, allowing five runs, just two of those earned, on four hits with a walk in 2.2 innings. Carter Daniel, Garrett Telega, Corben Howeard, and Brodey Lentz tossed the final 3.1 innings, allow seven runs, but none of those earned on four hits with three strikeouts and three walks. 

Up next for Union will be a week of home games, starting Tuesday, March 24, when Arkansas Tech comes to Fesmire Field at 3 p.m.

-UNION-