Annandale-On-Hudson, NY -- Mother Nature was finally cooperative as the Elmira College baseball team was able to continue their inaugural season with a pair of games at Bard College this afternoon. The Soaring Eagles and Raptors engaged in a high-scoring shootout in game one of today's non-conference doubleheader, with EC coming out on the losing end of a 17-10 game, but Elmira's bats went silent in a 6-0 loss in the nightcap.
 
Game One: Bard 17, Elmira 10
EC got off to a fast start in the first game of the doubleheader, plating three runs in the top half of the first inning. Hayden Rothenberg'18 was hit by a pitch to open the game, then proceeded to steal second base before coming around to score on a Michael Burghardt'18 sacrifice fly. Rey Colon'18 and Dylan Bellinger'18 would add to EC's tally, scoring on a Harrison Leslie'18 two-RBI double.
 
Elmira's lead would not last long as Bard would push across five runs in the bottom half of the first inning and add a sixth run in the bottom of the second inning to take a 6-3 lead. EC made it a one-run game after Bryce Plante'18 drove in Bellinger and Leslie with a bloop single down the right field line, but the Raptors again answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning to create additional distance between the squads.
 
The Purple and Gold would score runs in each of the final four innings, but Bard's advantage continued to grow as the Raptors outscored EC 8-5 to bring it to the 17-10 final.

EC had 13 hits, with three of those coming from the bat of Bellinger. Bellinger was 3-for-4 from the plate with two runs scored and one RBI. Leslie was one of three other Soaring Eagles with mutli-hit games, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored and two RBI. The other two-hit games came from Plante, who went 2-for-4, and Burghardt, who went 2-for-3.
 
Game Two: Bard 6, Elmira 0
EC had runners on second base twice in the top half of the first inning of game two, but Bard was able to keep Elmira off the scoreboard with a double-play and forcing Bellinger into a ground-out.
 
The Raptors took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning and after Elmira went 1-2-3 in the top of the second inning, Bard added another run to take a 3-0 lead heading into the third inning.
 
Elmira's best threat to cut into Bard's lead was in the top of the fourth inning, but the Raptors worked out of the jam and kept their 3-0 lead. Then, in the bottom of the fourth inning, Bard broke open the game with three more runs and made it 6-0. That would be the final score as EC fell 6-0 in the second game.
 
The Purple and Gold will play the first Empire 8 Conference games in program history this weekend as they travel to Ithaca College for a three-game series. They play a double-header against the Bombers on Saturday, March 28th with the first game set to start at 12:00 p.m.