BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – In a battle of two Top-15 teams, No. 13 Union College defeated No. 14 University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) by the score of 18-7 Wednesday afternoon at Jerey W. Carey Stadium.

The 18 hits from the Bulldogs are the most in 2008 while the 18 runs scored and three home runs ties season highs. Eight of the nine Union starters accounted for multi-hit games, with at least one run scored and drove in at least one run a piece.

Two of the home runs came from senior Justin Hart (Lake Mary, Fla.). He ended the game with a grand slam in the eighth inning and he added a solo blast in the fourth. His five RBIs are the most by a Bulldog this season. It was the second time a Bulldog has hit two home runs in a contest this season and the first grand slam since Luis Pimentel hit one against Montreat (N.C.) College April 21, 2007.

Matt Brady (Louisville, Ky.) and Josh Ehringer (Somerset, Ky.) both went 3-for-4 for the Union cause. Brady knocked the other home run, his second of the season and he scored twice with two RBIs to go with a stolen base. Ehringer was responsible for two RBIs and tied his longest hitting streak of the season at eight games.

Lioney Henriquez (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored three times in his 2-for-6 game and he stole three bases in the victory.

On the mound, senior Brett Nuss (Lake Mary, Fla.) picked up his first win of the year. He tossed 4 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on six hits while mixing in four strikeouts.

For Cumberlands, Brooks Morgan suffered the loss after he worked 3 2/3 innings. He allowed five runs on five hits.

At the plate for the Patriots, Jeff Poff and Robert Mills went 3-for-4 and 3-for-5, respectively. Mills hit a home run and drove in a pair of runs while Ronnie Hawkins recorded two RBIs.

Union scored four runs in the opening inning only to see Cumberlands answer with four in the top of the second. The Bulldogs regained the lead with two second-inning runs. Hart’s home run in the fourth made the score 7-4. Mills cut into the lead the next half inning with his home run.

The bottom of the fifth saw Union posted two more runs and Cumberlands done the same in the sixth. The next nine runs went to the Bulldogs, four in the sixth and the final five in their half of the eighth.

The Bulldogs improved to 26-6 while the University of the Cumberlands falls to 25-6 on the year.

Next on the schedule for Union is an Appalachian Athletic Conference doubleheader Saturday when Virginia Intermont visits. The first game is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.

Bulldog Notes

• Union now has 109 stolen bases, the school record is 198 set last year.
• Brady’s three hits is a season high for him.
• Union split an earlier doubleheader with Cumberlands on March 18 in Williamsburg.
• When scoring more than 10 runs, Union is 18-0.
• This is the third game in a row the Bulldogs have scored in double-digits.