Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference games to visiting D'Youville College this afternoon at Dunn Field.  Elmira nearly picked up their second win of the season in game one but the Spartans of D'Youville would prevail in extra innings, 7-4.  Game two was all D'Youville, as the Spartans claimed a 15-4 victory.
 
Game One: D'Youville 7, Elmira 4 (F/9)
The Spartan bats got to Elmira's pitchers early as D'Youville scored four runs in the first two innings, including a three-run first inning.  Elmira scored two of their four runs in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI sacrifice fly by Jack Thistle '18 and an RBI single by Brian Wehmeyer '17.
 
D'Youville's four runs forced an Elmira pitching change as Alexander Taulien '17 came in for relief duty in the third inning.  The switch by Coach Corey Paluga turned out to be a good one as Taulien held the Spartans scoreless over the next five innings. 
 
Taulien's efforts on the mound kept Elmira in the game long enough to see the Soaring Eagles even today's contest at 4-4 in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Hayden Rothenberg '17 singled up the middle with two outs, scoring Dennis Rudolph '18 and Dylan Bellinger '17.
 
After driving in the tying run, Rothenberg would make his way to third base on a pair of wild pitches, putting himself in scoring position for EC's next batter, Thistle.  Unfortunately, on a 3-2 count, Thistle would commit the inning's final out as he grounded out to the D'Youville second baseman. 
 
A scoreless seventh inning by both teams kept the game at 4-4 at which point Coach Paluga would opt to bring in another pitcher, this time rookie hurler Connor Baiwec '18, who was making his collegiate debut.  Baiwec, who began the game as EC's designated hitter, retired the first three batters he saw which included one strikeout. 
 
Elmira looked to sneak away with the win in the bottom of the eighth as they put runners on the corners with two outs.  However, Thistle would strikeout on four pitches as D'Youville starting pitcher Kyle Taylor forced a ninth inning. 
 
In the ninth, the Spartans put three of their first four batters on base, loading the bases for Louis Reynolds who would break the 4-4 tie with a two-run single.  D'Youville would tack-on another run in the inning to take a 7-4 lead into the bottom half of the ninth. 
 
Trailing by three runs, Elmira saw their first two batters retired on back-to-back ground outs, as a Spartan victory looked all but wrapped-up.
 
Then, Wehmeyer would extend the inning as he worked a two-out walk, allowing Bryce Plante '18 and Rey Colon '18 to reach safely on an error and a single, respectively.  With the bases full, Bellinger stepped to the plate looking to keep the rally going but he would fly out on a 1-0 count as the Spartans marched away with a 7-4 win.
 
Game Two: D'Youville 15, Elmira 4
Elmira came out of the gates fast in game two as the Purple and Gold jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning.  Bawiec drove in the game's opening run as he laced the first pitch he saw through the right side of D'Youville's infield, scoring Rothenberg from third base.  Harrison Leslie '18 drove-in the other run of the inning, bringing home Bawiec with two outs.
 
The Elmira lead was short-lived however, as the Spartans score three runs in the top of the second inning, which sparked the D'Youville offense to score 13 consecutive runs scored by over the next four innings.  EC scored two more times in the game but so would D'Youville as the Soaring Eagles dropped game two, 15-4.
 
Elmira will have a short turnaround as the Soaring Eagles will be back at it on Saturday, April 18th, when EC travels to Rochester, NY to face Empire 8 Conference opponent St. John Fisher for a four-game set.  Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.