Elmira, NY – After an impressive regular season the EC Softball team has earned the No. 2 seed in the Empire 8 Conference Softball Tournament. The double elimination tournament will begin on Friday, May 3 continuing through May 4 and possibly May 5 with No. 1 seed Utica College hosting. The Empire 8 Champion will earn the automatic bid to the 2013 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament.

The Soaring Eagles finished the regular season with a 23-11 overall record and 8-4 conference record which ties them with St. John Fisher College. However, EC holds the tiebreaker over Fisher due to an early season sweep of top-seeded Utica.

This season Elmira has been led by all-star pitcher Alex Puglisi '14 who proves to be a top contender in the Empire 8. On the season she has thrown 155 innings giving up only 30 earned runs, while striking out 161 batters and possessing a 1.35 earned run average. Additionally, she has a 15-7 overall pitching record and an 8-3 conference mark averaging over seven strikeouts per game. She ranks tied for first in E8 play for complete games and shutouts, while ranking second in conference for ERA and strikeouts.

Alex Andrade '13, Megan Anderson '15 and Mikayla Bean '14 all have stepped up their play behind the plate this season to help the Soaring Eagles prosper. Meanwhile, the five freshmen have all played vital roles in the team's success so far this season. The Purple and Gold will not stop now as they move forward to the E8 Tournament with the goal of reaching the NCAA Tournament.  

Friday, May 3
Game 1: No. 2 Elmira v No. 3 Fisher - 10 a.m.
Game 2: No. 4 Alfred s No. 1 Utica - Noon
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 v Loser of Game 2 - 2 p.m.
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 v Winner of Game 2 - 4 p.m.

Saturday, May 4
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 v Loser of Game 4 - 11 a.m.
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 v Winner of Game 5 - 1 p.m.

Sunday, May 5
Game 7: If necessary (to avoid any team having to play three games in one day)