Union Extends Win Streak With High-Scoring Win Over Lane College

Union’s Bulldogs came away with a 12-8 win against Lane College at Fesmire Field on Tuesday, Feb. 18, extending their win streak to three games.

The Bulldogs opened the game with a 1-0 lead at the end of the first inning. Senior Eli Gipson secured the first run of the afternoon on a wild pitch. After the second inning, the score was tied up 1-1. Lane then went on a five-run stretch in the third, setting them up with a comfortable four-run cushion over the Bulldogs, leading 6-2. 

Momentum shifted in Union’s favor in the bottom of the fourth with a homer from sophomore business management major Caden Walker. With Walker’s grand slam, the Bulldogs tied the game 6-6. Gipson scored on an error by Lane College, leading the Bulldogs to regain the lead, 7-6. 

“A moment like that gets the vibes up in the dugout,” Walker said. “And when the vibes are up, we start to do what we need to do on the field.”

Senior sports management major Alex Johnson pitched a scoreless fourth and fifth inning, which were critical in allowing Union to take the lead, which it maintained and extended throughout the sixth and seventh innings. After tacking on insurance runs, the score reached 12-8 in favor of the Bulldogs.

Johnson was asked after the game about what had contributed to the Bulldogs’ three-game win streak.

“Definitely our ability to take it one inning at a time and not get too ahead of ourselves and having confidence in our guys, knowing they are going to execute their jobs,” Johnson said. “But overall, still trying to be humble throughout each game and each outing. It’s still very early in the year, and we have some good competition coming up, so there’s no room to let up.”

With a 7-4 record this season, the Bulldogs hope to keep the momentum going into this weekend’s home series against Delta State.

“We just have to keep the mindset that we have now, respect every team the same, and not get complacent,” said Walker.