Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team held a 3-2 lead entering the top of the seventh inning but a three-run home run by the Pennsylvania College of Technology proved disastrous as the Soaring Eagles dropped a non-conference home game to the Wildcats, 5-3.
Alexander Taulien '17 got the start for the Soaring Eagles and would toss seven full innings with four strikeouts.
Zack Stone '18 came in for relief duty in the eighth and allowed just one hit while striking out three batters.
Seven Elmira batters registered hits, including
Jack Thistle '18 who was only player to log a multi-hit game as he went 2-for-4 from the plate with a pair of singles and an RBI.
Joe Kidd '18 also had a noteworthy evening from the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Kidd drove-in the game's first runs in the bottom of the first inning as he delivered a two-out single to center field, bringing home
Hayden Rothenberg '17 and
Dylan Bellinger '17, who reached safely earlier in the inning on a single and a walk, respectively.
Penn College got a run back in the top half of the second inning, as the Wildcats pieced together three consecutive singles, followed by Taulien hitting the next better which cut Elmira's lead to 2-1.
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Elmira still led 2-1 and with two outs the Soaring Eagles reclaimed their two-run lead. Rothenberg began the two-out rally as he was hit by a pitch and would steal second, putting himself in scoring position. Thistle would make the Wildcats pay for their two-out hit by pitch as he laced a hit into center field, scoring Rothenberg to give Elmira a 3-1 lead.
The Wildcats trimmed Elmira's lead to 3-2 in the top of the fifth inning thanks to a one-out RBI double by Evan Vigna. Two innings later, with two Wildcat runners on base, Zach Weil sent a towering shot over the left field wall to give Penn College a 5-3 lead.
Trailing by two runs, Elmira looked to cut into Penn College's lead and nearly did so in the bottom of the eighth inning when EC loaded the bases with just one out. Unfortunately, Elmira's next two batters would fly out and strike out, ending the Elmira threat.
Elmira would also strand a runner in the bottom of the ninth as the Soaring Eagles suffered another close loss at home.
The Purple and Gold will be back in action this Friday, April 10th when Elmira hosts Houghton College in a nine inning Empire 8 Conference game. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at Dunn Field.
