The third-seeded Union College baseball team scored eight runs in the fifth inning to pull away from second-seeded Bryan, 11-3, at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Tournament at Hunter Wright Stadium Wednesday.
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 34-20 on the year, and will next play at 5 p.m. on Thursday with a chance to advance on to the tournament championship game on Friday with a win. Bryan fell to 40-17 with the loss.
After the first two and a half innings were scoreless, Union struck in the third, taking a 3-0 lead with a three-run half inning.
In the frame, Tim DeVito had an RBI on a ground out, Joe Engle hit an RBI sacrifice fly, and Brandon Hedrick had a two-out, RBI double, giving Union the three-run lead.
After a scoreless fourth and top of the fifth, the Bulldogs exploded for eight runs in the bottom half of the inning to go up 11-0, and essentially put the Lions away. In the inning, Union bashed out five hits, and also forced five walks from the Bryan pitching staff. The Bulldogs also scored four of the runs in the inning with two outs on the board.
Bryan's lone runs in the contest didn't come until all the way in the top of the ninth, when they scored three times.
Overall in the victory, second baseman Arthur Dockery was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Bulldog offense. The only other Bulldog to have a multi-hit game was Hedrick, who went 2-for-5 with an RBI. Meanwhile, DeVito and Engle each had two RBI, apiece.
On the mound, starter Taylor Eikenberry (6-2) earned the win after tossing eight shutout innings, scattering seven hits in the process. Eikenberry struck out six in the win, as well.