JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University baseball team defeated No. 8 University of West Alabama Friday night at Fesmire Field. Union improved to 13-18 overall and 5-14 in the Gulf South Conference. West Alabama dropped to 23-7 on the season and 14-5 in league play.
Lane Evans (2-0) and
Cole Lannom (2) combined for the nine inning effort, holding the UWA Tigers to just three runs on seven hits and striking six batters each.
Union scored first on the defending GSC Tournament Champions with two runs in the first.
Grant Ross drove in the first run on a bunt single and a throwing error on the play at the plate allowed a second run to score. Both were unearned.
West Alabama tied the game in the top of the second and then took the 3-2 lead with an unearned run in the third inning. The Union pitchers held West Alabama scoreless the rest of the night.
Union responded with six unanswered runs including two in the third.
Caleb Davis tripled in
Grant Ross with another unearned run. The Tigers committed five errors in the game.
Caleb Davis scored on a wild pitch later in the inning.
Union added a run in the fourth when
Ethan Quinn stole second and
Joseph Hufstedler scored on the play.
In the seventh, Union got an RBI single from
Jordan Allen, driving in
Elijah Ramsey. However, the right fielder missed the ball as he was trying for a play at the plate and the ball went all the way to the wall. Two more runs scored for Union on the error, including Allen himself.
Of all the runs scored, both pitching staffs gave up just two earned runs each in the game. The game started with the first two innings being played in a light rain.
Evans for Union tossed 5.1 innings, allowing four hits, three runs, two earned with six strikeouts and four walks.
Cole Lannom entered in the sixth and tossed a masterful final 3.2 innings for his second save. He allowed no runs on just three hits with six strikeouts and no walks.
The two teams will play a double header at noon Saturday at Union to complete the three game series.
-UNION-
