ALLIANCE, Ohio - The #23 nationally ranked Mount Union baseball team (25-8) won a non-conference game against Thiel College (13-23) on the road on Sunday. The Purple Raiders have won 21 out of their last 23 games. 
 
Mount Union fell behind early, 1-0 in the first inning, and started the first two innings slow offensively. But the Purple Raiders had a third inning surge. Sophomore outfielder Brycen Fox (Hamilton, Ohio / Badin) started the scoring with an RBI single to the shortstop. Graduate second baseman Andrew Witte (Mentor, Ohio / Mentor) hit an RBI single to follow. On the day, Witte batted 3-for-5 with two RBIs, knocking in his 28th, 29th, and 30th RBIs.  
 
Mount Union continued to score in the fourth inning as senior first baseman Johnny Costella (Cleveland, Ohio / Trinity) drew an RBI walk. Fox added an RBI sacrifice fly, and sophomore Luke Ickes stole home during a double steal with Fox. 
 
Thiel added one more run in the top of the sixth, but that's all they could muster, as starting pitcher Jaired Lehman (Monroeville, Pa. / Gateway) had a dominant performance, pitching 5.2 innings with a strikeout, allowing two runs, both unearned.  
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Mount Union continued to dominate, featuring RBI singles from Witte and senior shortstop Alex Stegman (Berea, Ohio / Berea-Midpark). The Purple Raiders invoked the mercy rule in the bottom of the seventh inning when senior third baseman Joe Lenart (Cleveland, Ohio / Garfield Heights) hit an RBI triple, followed by Witte's RBI single and another RBI triple from Stegman. 
 
Senior right-handed pitcher Chris Phillips (Elyria, Ohio / Elyria Catholic) finished the game for the Purple Raiders, pitching 1.1 innings, allowing only one hit and no runs, securing the 12-2 win on Senior day. 
 
Mount Union's next game is tomorrow at Westminster College, with the first pitch scheduled for 4:00 PM.