Joe Engle drove in a three runs to lead No. 12 Union to a 9-3, season-opening win over host No. 3 Lee on Monday.
The Bulldogs are now 1-0, while the Flames fall to 8-1 on the season.
Engle (Sidney, Ohio) went 3-for-4 on the day with three RBIs and a stolen base. Clay Ragland (Chillicothe, Ohio) was 3-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scores, and Arthur Dockery (Detroit, Mich.) had two hits, two runs and a RBI.
Down 1-0 in the fifth, Union exploded for four runs to grab the lead.
Engle had the big hit of the inning with a two-run single through the left side of the infield. The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth before Lee scratched out a run in the bottom of the frame to make it a 6-2 contest.
Ragland and Dockery both scored in the eighth to put Union up 8-2. Yet, Lee countered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make it a five-run game.
Union sealed the decision with a Cory Perreault (Phoenix, Ariz.) run-scoring single in the ninth, making the final 9-3.Perreault finished the game 2-for-4 with a run scored and a RBI.Travis Kottenbrock (Lima, Ohio) picked up the victory, pitching 1 2/3 innings in relief. He allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk with two strikeouts. Chris Fern(Zephyrhills, Fla.) picked up the save, pitching the final 3 1/3 innings and giving up one earned run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Brandon Hedrick (Corbin, Ky.) got the start and went four innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and four walks with two strikeouts.