Elmira College (5-9) vs. Hilbert College (4-6)
Thursday, March 31, 2016 | 1:00 & 3:00 P.M. | Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team concludes its seven-game homestand on Thursday afternoon when it welcomes Hilbert College for a doubleheader at historic Dunn Field. First pitch for game one is slated for 1:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira College baseball team got off to a difficult start to the Empire 8 Conference slate this past weekend, dropping all three games in the series against St. John Fisher College. The EC bats were stifled all weekend, particularly in Saturday's doubleheader, as the Purple and Gold were held to just one run on the day. Elmira took an early 1-0 lead in the opener, but the Cardinals responded with a three-run fourth inning, aided by a pair of EC defensive miscues to pull ahead 4-1. The offense never got lift-off in the second game of the twin-bill, as Fisher starter Marc Iseneker struck out 11 Soaring Eagles in firing a no-hitter.
 
Solid Outings
Although Elmira did not witness much success in the batter's box in its weekend set with St. John Fisher, the team did receive a pair of excellent outings from its starters. Nick Sampogna '18 and Conor Bawiec '18 were fantastic in limiting one of the conference's most dangerous lineups. Sampogna got the ball in the series opener on Friday and continued his run of strong starts, firing 8.0 innings of three-run ball. It marked his third straight solid outing, while it was his second consecutive quality start. The sophomore hurler also notched a new career high with seven strikeouts. Bawiec got the ball in the opening game of the doubleheader, pitching Elmira's second complete game of the year. Although  the Cardinals were able to scratch across four runs, only two were earned, as the righty collected his team-best third quality start of the spring.
 
One Streak Ends, Another Continues for Bawiec
EC's most consistent hitter through the team's first month has been Conor Bawiec '18. Unfortunately, his prodigious hitting streak, which dated back to the middle of last season, came to an end at 22 games in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He did represent Elmira's lone base-runner in the contest with a lead off walk to begin the second inning, stretching his on-base streak to 24 consecutive games dating back to April 25th of last season.
 
Four in Top-10
Despite a difficult overall weekend in terms of scoring runs, the Soaring Eagles still boast four hitters in the Empire 8 Conference's Top-10 in terms of batting average. EC batters occupy three of the first five spots on the league chart. Dennis Rudolph '18 continues to pace the squad, while he ranks second in league with a .429 mark. Bawiec is right behind him, ranking third in conference at .417, while Cameron Heggie '18 is fourth at .375. Dylan Bellinger '17 rounds out the group with a .358 mark that sits seventh-best heading into Thursday's action.
 
All-Time Series
The two programs split a doubleheader at Dunn Field in Elmira's inaugural season in 2015. Hilbert rallied for a 4-1 deficit to take the opening game of the twin-bill by a 7-4 score, while Elmira piled up 17 hits in a 14-4 rout in game two. Bellinger led the way offensively, going 3-for-6 with a double, two triples and three RBIs in the two contests.
 
Scouting Hilbert
The Hawks enter play on Wednesday with a 3-5 record on the season with all eight contests coming during a spring trip to Florida in the beginning of March. Hilbert is set to get its first taste of action up north when it takes on Pitt-Bradford in a doubleheader on Wednesday, before facing the Soaring Eagles on Thursday. Kevin Moore paces the Hawks offense with a .424 average, leading the team in both hits (14) and doubles (4). Anthony De La Cruz (.391 BA, 6 runs) and Anthony Wurstner (.344 BA, 7 runs) have been solid table setters for Hilbert. Justin Hulbert is the team's top arm with 15.0 innings pitched and a miniscule 0.60 ERA in two starts. He leads the team with 17 strikeouts.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira baseball returns to conference play this weekend when it travels to Utica College for a three-game set with the Pioneers. The series kicks off on Saturday with a twin-bill set to begin at 1:00 p.m. The two teams round out the series at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday afternoon.