TROY, N.Y. – Sophomore Liam McIlroy set the single season home run record and junior Chris Suter struck out a career-high eight batters on 122 pitches to send the Union College baseball team past Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 11-4, in the Liberty League Tournament on Friday morning at Robison Field.
With the win, Union will play the loser of #30 Ithaca College and the University of Rochester at 4:00 p.m. today in an elimination game.
McIlroy homered twice in the victory, including a grand slam, to bring his season total to 13 home runs and break Union's single season home run record set by Colin Kelly in 2018.
Suter turned in a career performance for his sixth win of the season. The junior fanned eight and surrendered four runs, two earned, on eight hits and 122 pitches.
Junior Sam Strazza added his second home run of the tournament and senior Sebastian Pike also sent one over the fence for his fifth homer of the season.
Union wasted no time getting on the board. On an 0-2 count, McIlroy knocked the ball over the fence in right center to start the game to tie the program single-season home run record at 12.
The Garnet Chargers plated seven in the third inning to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Seniors Thomas Parisi and Kobe Mentzer drew back-to-back walks to open the inning. Strazza sent a three-run blast over the right field fence for his second home run of the conference tournament. Union loaded the bases and McIlroy let it fly with a grand slam into left to break the game open and set the program record.
Union added another run in the top of the fourth. After Strazza drew a walk, Pike singled through the left side to put two runners on. Senior Ryan Cowles laced a single up the middle for the score. RPI put one on the board in the bottom of the fourth after back-to-back throwing errors saw Hicks score from second.
Sophomore Cooper Ames recorded a lead off walk in the sixth inning and Pike followed it up with a two-run home run into left field to put Union up 11-1. The Engineers struck back with a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth courtesy of Joey Saia.
RPI scored their fourth and final run in the bottom of the 7
th inning. With runners on second and third, a fielding error by junior Kyle Zaslaw saw a run score. Suter retired the next two batters to end the inning.
Sophomore Jack Klein took over in relief and pitched two shutout innings without a hit and struck out one.
Union returns to action this afternoon at approximately 4:00 p.m. to face either Ithaca or Rochester.