Hartford, Conn. – Senior Nick DiBenedetto (Fort Myers, Fla.) went 2-for-3 with three RBI, and first-year RHP Alex Shafer (Baltimore pitched seven shutout innings to lead the Trinity College Bantams to an 8-0 victory over the visiting Union College Dutchmen in baseball action this evening at Murren Family Field in DiBenedetto Stadium.  Trinity wins for the seventh time in its last eight games to reach the 20-win mark for the first time since 2013, improving to 20-14 with just a doubleheader against Wesleyan on Saturday left on the schedule.  The Bantams have shut out four opponents in their last seven games.  Union drops to 18-12.

Shafer and Union rookie starter Sam Mikell (Williston, Vt.) combined yield just a first-inning double by Dutchman sophomore Anthony Amoroso (Monroe, Conn.) over the first 17 outs, but Trinity scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the third.  Sophomore SS Ben Reinisch (Troy, N.Y.) and junior OF Christian Orsini (Livingston, N.J.) both walked and scored on a two-run triple by freshman OF Matt Koperniak (Adams, Mass.), and DiBenedetto knocked home Koperniak with a double.  Shafer gave up a pair of singles in the fourth inning but got out of the inning thanks to a double play grounder, and cruised through the seventh. Trinity put up four unearned runs in the seventh frame, highlighted by a two-out, two-run single by DiBenedetto and the Bantams added another unearned run in the eighth inning.  

Shafer ended up allowing four hits and one walk with six strikeouts to improve to 3-1, before yielding to lefties Erik Mohl (Milton, Mass.) and McLane Hill (Marlborough, Conn.) who allowed a hit apiece in the eighth and ninth frames, respectively.  Mikell dropped to 2-2, surrendering just two hits but three runs with two walks and two K's for Union.  Four Dutchmen relievers allowed four hits and two walks with no earned runs over the final six innings, including two perfect frames by junior Anthony DeSanto (Wallingford, Conn.).  Koperniak finished with two runs and two RBI for the Bantam offense, while Amoroso was 2-for-4 for Union.