AMSTERDAM, N.Y. – The Union College baseball team pounded out 20 hits on the way to the most runs by a Dutchman side in more than 14 years in a 23-11 marathon victory over Bard College in a Liberty League matchup on Tuesday evening at Shuttleworth Park.
 
The 23 runs are the most scored by Union (12-14, 7-8 Liberty League) in almost exactly 14 years, since putting up 24 in a 24-20 win over SUNYIT on April 23, 2008.
 
Sophomore Ryan Cowles had a big game at the top of the lineup for Union, going 5-for-6 with three RBIs and four runs scored, the first Union player with five hits in a game since Sean Cullen '20 in 2019 against Vassar College. Senior Colby Nash also had three hits, including a grand slam, on the way to a career-best six RBIs and three runs scored. Sophomore Thomas Parisi had three hits as well and sophomore Kobe Mentzer drove in three runs as part of a relentless offensive attack.
 
After Bard got one run in the top of the first, the Dutchmen asserted themselves quickly after that, scoring five times in both of the first two innings to take control. The team took advantage of some Bard miscues in the first inning and got a sacrifice fly from Mentzer and a Nash RBI double to take the lead back for good. Nash came back up in the second and put four on the board with one swing, as he followed a Mentzer bases-loaded walk with a grand slam to put Union in double figures after two frames.
 
After a scoreless third inning, the Dutchmen added three more in the fourth with the help of a Parisi RBI double and a Cowles run-scoring single. Union scored once in the next two innings on singles by Mentzer and junior Jack Davis, and then broke the game open even more with eight runs in the seventh. Seven different players drove in runs in the frame, with senior Justin Cabanas beginning a stretch of six straight RBI base hits.
 
Senior Chris Murdock (3-1) entered the game on a pitch limit and got into the fourth inning to earn the win, striking out seven batters and allowing one earned run on two hits.
 
Union will return to action tomorrow with a non-conference matchup against SUNY Cobleskill beginning at 6 p.m. at Shuttleworth Park.