Score: Elmira College 6 – Penn State-Harrisburg 3
Records: Elmira (2-5), Penn State-Harrisburg (8-12)
Location: Penn State Harrisburg Baseball Field – Middletown, PA
 
Middletown, PA -- The Elmira College baseball team kept things rolling in the right direction in the opening game of its weekend swing to Pennsylvania, snagging an early lead and holding off a late charge in a 6-3 victory over Penn State-Harrisburg.
 
Coming off a record-setting 31-run performance this past Sunday, Elmira wasted little time in continuing to light up the scoreboard on Friday afternoon. Hayden Rothenberg '17 legged out a double to open the game, while Rey Colon '18 moved him to third on a sacrifice bunt. Elmira's main RBI-man from a season ago, Dylan Bellinger '18 chased Rothenberg home with a single to give EC an early 1-0 lead just three batters in.
 
The Soaring Eagles gained some separation the following inning, capitalizing on some big time two-out lightning. Cameron Heggie '18 started the rally with a single, while Rothenberg followed with a base-knock to put runners on the corners. The EC centerfielder swiped second to put two runners in scoring position with the middle of the order looming.
 
Colon and Bellinger delivered the major blows to the Lions in the next two at-bats. Colon laced a single through the infield to bring both Heggie and Rothenberg around to score. Bellinger followed with his first homer of the season to widen the gap to 5-0, before Penn State-Harrisburg could finally put the inning to bed.
 
The five-run advantage was more than enough for Elmira starter Nick Sampogna '18. The righty put together his second consecutive sharp outing, limiting the Lions to just two singles and one walk through six scoreless innings. Sampogna was extremely efficient, retiring Penn State-Harrisburg in order four times, including 12 straight batters, after the Lions put two runners on to begin the bottom of the third.
 
The home side finally was able to get to Sampogna in the seventh. The Verplanck, NY, native put the first two runners on with a walk and a hit batter; however, he nearly escaped the inning, striking out the next two batters looking. Head Coach Corey Paluga turned to his bullpen to escape the inning, but some erratic pitching by Joe Marigliano '17 and Blake Phelps '19 allowed Sampogna's two inherited runners to score on a walk and wild pitch. Phelps was able to quell the Penn State-Harrisburg threat with a weak grounder to first to end the inning.
 
The Soaring Eagles did not wait long to respond, as they got one back in the next half inning. Heggie again started the EC rally, rapping a single and then advancing all the way to third on a stolen base and throwing error. Rothenberg plated Heggie with a sacrifice fly to make the score 6-2.
 
Phelps settled things down following the rocky seventh. He set the Lions down one-two-three in the eighth, with two coming by way of the strike out. The score line remained the same into the bottom of the ninth.
 
After a leadoff walk, Paluga again turned to the bullpen, bringing in Dennis Rudolph '18 who was excellent in his most recent appearance this past Sunday. The righty retired his first batter on a fly out, but Will Quiles of Penn State-Harrisburg followed with an RBI triple to cut the deficit to 6-3. Rudolph issued two more free passes to load the bases, bringing the winning run to the plate. However, the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week remained cool, whiffing his next batter, before putting the game away with a fly out to center.
 
In His Own Words...
Head Coach Corey Paluga on today's game...
"I'm very proud of the way the team played today. We were very sound defensively and pitched well through some pressure situations. A tough road win like today early in the season will build confidence moving forward."

Paluga on Bellinger's excellent approach at the plate today...
"Dylan has improved his approach over the past couple games. He's getting more comfortable at the plate, along with several of his teammates. The hitters are starting to feed off of each other's confidence at the plate, and he's been a big part of that.?"

Paluga on Sampogna's strong pitching of late...
"Nick continues to improve and build confidence on the mound. His consistency will be important to our pitching staff and team's success. This year he's done a very good job of working ahead in counts and allowing our defense to make plays behind him."

Turning Point
Elmira's big moment came early in the contest, as the team put together a furious two-out rally in the top of the second inning to plate four runs to widen the advantage to 5-0. The Lions were never able to overcome the large early deficit.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outhit Penn State-Harrisburg 13-to-3 in the contest.
• For the second straight game, Elmira played error-free baseball defensively.
• Bellinger had his best game of the young season, finishing 4-for-5, which included his first long ball of the season. He finished with three RBIs.
• Rothenberg also had a solid bounce-back game after a slow start with the bat. He went 2-for-3, which included a double, scoring two runs and driving in one of his own. He also swiped his first base of the season.
• Colon drove in the other two runs with his second inning single. He finished 1-for-4 , also scoring one run.
• Heggie and Conor Bawiec '18 each added two hits apiece.
• Sampogna notched his first victory of the season, turning in 6.2 innings of strong work. He allowed two hits and two walks, while striking out five.
• Rudolph collected his first save of the season.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira has now won two straight games, which is the third time the program has notched back-to-back victories.
• Sampogna turned in a phenomenal performance on the mound for the Soaring Eagles. His 6.2 innings of work marked a career high for the second-year righty, while he tied a career best with five strikeouts.
• Sampogna earned the second win of his career, while it was his first as a starter.
• Bellinger also posted the best game of his young career. His four hits marked a new career high, while he blasted the third round-tripper of his career.
• Rudolph's save was the second of his career and first this season.
• With his two hits today, Bawiec extended his hitting streak to 16 straight games dating back to last season.
• Heggie, Rudolph and Colon each extended their respective hitting streaks to four straight games.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it faced Penn State-Abington in a doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m.