Elmira, NY -- Playing at Dunn Field for the first time in an official NCAA game, the Elmira College baseball team (0-6) would fall to visiting University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (1-6), 9-2. 
 
Elmira took an early 1-0 lead in today's game, as Hayden Rothenberg '17 scored on a Mike Burghardt '18 sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning.  The Elmira run was the definition of a manufactured run as the Soaring Eagles crossed home plate without registering as much as a single hit. 
 
Rothenberg was hit by a pitch to open the inning and would steal second base shortly after, his fifth stolen base of the season.  On Elmira's next at-bat, Bryce Plante '18 would ground out to the pitcher, but the groundout would advance Rothenberg to third base, putting him in scoring position. 
 
From there, Burghardt would hit a sacrifice fly to center field on a 3-2 count, scoring Rothenberg for the game's first run.
 
The Panthers responded the following inning with a one-out, two RBI single to centerfield by Bobby Sorokas.  Sorokas' two-run single would be all Pitt-Bradford would get as Elmira's starting pitcher, Zack Stone '18, shut down the side by forcing a fly out and striking out a Panther batter to end the inning.
 
Elmira's Joe Kidd '18 would lead off the bottom of the second inning and would see the count go to 0-2 in a hurry thanks to a called strike and a foul ball.  However, Kidd hung tough in his at-bat and eventually worked a walk.  After a pair of outs, and two failed pickoff attempts, Kidd would steal second base and reach third on a wild pitch.
 
With Kidd on third, Matt van Muelken '18 stepped to the plate and delivered an RBI infield single to even the game at 2-2.  van Muelken's infield single was a hot shot up the middle that Pitt-Bradford starting pitcher Ryan Chamberlain would put leather on, but the hard hit ball was too much as van Muelken beat-out the throw allowing Kidd to score.
 
The game remained tied at 2-2 through the third inning but a pair of two-out Pitt-Bradford singles would put the Panthers back on top 4-2.  From there, Elmira would be held to just two hits in the final six innings while Pitt-Bradford tacked-on five additional runs to seal the Panthers' 9-2 victory.
 
Elmira's Dylan Bellinger '17 had solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a single and double.  Burghardt also had a noteworthy afternoon, going 1-for-3 with a double as well as an RBI sacrifice fly.
 
EC starting pitcher, Stone, tossed four full innings, registering four strikeouts while allowing four runs on 89 pitches.  Nick Sampogna '18 came in for relief duty and would throw two-plus innings, allowing three hits and zero runs. 
 
The Soaring Eagles will be back in action tomorrow, Thursday April 2nd, as the Elmira men host Alfred State for a non-conference doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. at Dunn Field.  Tomorrow's doubleheader was recently added to the EC baseball schedule late this afternoon.