ALLIANCE, Ohio – The Thiel College baseball team suffered a 16-9 defeat on the road to the Mount Union Purple Raiders in a non-conference nine-inning game Wednesday afternoon.

After Mount Union started off the game with a three-run lead, Thiel tied up the game at three in the top of the fourth inning. Dan Koller and Trent Smith hit back-to-back doubles to start off the fourth inning with Smith driving Koller home. Josh Doody followed with a single up the middle to bring Smith home from second base. Three batters later, Jake Marino brought Doody home on a sacrifice fly to right field. 

Mount Union retaliated with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Thiel responded with two runs in the top of the fifth inning. Koller crushed a solo home run over the center field with one out in the fifth inning. After a single by Smith and a Brian Genco walk, Nick Grice singled to right field to score Smith.

Mount Union got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning but Thiel then scored a run in the top of the sixth inning when Drew Dellert scored on a wild pitch.

Mount Union scored three unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh inning before Thiel added two runs in the top of the eighth inning when Matt Elko knocked a two-out double to left center field to score Dellert and Bryan Mitchell.

Thiel plated another run in the top of the ninth inning when Grice tripled home Smith on a hit to center field after Mount Union scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth.

Elko, Koller, Smith and Grice each collected two hits in the contest. Grice and Elko each drove in two runs while Smith crossed home plate three times. Koller and Dellert both registered two runs for Thiel.

The Tomcats (11-4) will open Presidents' Athletic Conference action with a three-game series this weekend taking on the Thomas More Saints in Crestview Hills, Ky. Thiel and Thomas More will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.