Elmira, NY -- Impromptu winter weather wreaked havoc with the EC athletics schedule this past week; however, Elmira's spring athletic programs were able to dance between the snowflakes to get in most of their contests this past week. Highlighting the action was the Elmira Cheerleading, who took home third place at the National Cheerleading Association College Nationals in Daytona Beach, FL. The women's lacrosse team defeated Keuka College to extend its winning streak to three, its best stretch dating back to 2007. EC baseball, men's tennis and softball all continued their Empire 8 Conference slates against the Stevens Institute of Technology, while men's lacrosse jumped back into E8 play against Hartwick College. Read about it all in the newest edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly!
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Baseball Set for Busy Home Weekend
The Elmira College baseball team continues its Empire 8 Conference slate this weekend when it welcomes Houghton College for a three-game set at historic Dunn Field. The Soaring Eagles open the series against the Highlanders with a single nine-inning game at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15th, while the teams conclude the series with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 16th. Elmira continues its busy stretch when it takes on the Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday, April 17th, in a make-up contest beginning at 1:00 p.m.
 
Softball Welcomes St. John Fisher, Nazareth for Twin-Bills This Weekend
Elmira College softball had its schedule shaken up this past week due to the abnormal spring weather; however, it did get in a road twin-bill at Stevens on Sunday. The team is set to return to Eldridge Park Stadium for a pair of doubleheaders against Rochester, NY, foes this coming weekend. First, the Soaring Eagles will battle St. John Fisher College in a twin-bill beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 16th. The Purple and Gold return to action on Sunday, April 17th, when they take on Nazareth College for a two-game set beginning at 1:00 p.m.
 
Men's Lacrosse Set to Host Alfred University on Saturday
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team makes its return to Campus Field on Saturday, April 16th, when it welcomes Alfred University. EC will look to even its Empire 8 Conference record. Opening faceoff is slated for 1:00 p.m.
 
Women's Lacrosse Hits the Road to Face St. John Fisher on Saturday
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team dives back into Empire 8 play this weekend when it travels to Rochester, NY, to face St. John Fisher College on Saturday, April 16th. Opening draw is slated for 12:00 p.m.
 
Men's Tennis Faces Houghton in Road Contest on Saturday
The Elmira College men's tennis team hits the road on Friday, April 15th, for a 6:00 p.m. tilt at Houghton College.
 
Men's Golf Set for Second Leg of Empire 8 Championships
After having its first tournament of the spring at SUNY-Delhi cancelled, the Elmira College men's golf team is set to make its spring debut when it travels to Hershey, PA, for the second leg of the Empire 8 Championships. The final third and fourth rounds of the E8 Championships are scheduled for Saturday, April 16th, and Sunday, April 17th, at Hershey Country Club. The Soaring Eagles enter the tournament in seventh place following the conclusion of the first leg this past fall.
 
Women's Golf Opens Spring Schedule at Le Moyne Invitational
The Elmira College women's golf team is set to make its spring debut this weekend at the two-day Le Moyne Invitational. The tournament is scheduled to be played at the Timber Banks Golf Club in Baldwinsville, NY, on Saturday, April 16th, and Sunday, April 17th. EC took fifth place at Le Moyne's fall invitational.
 
A Look Back at the Week That Was…
 
Elmira Cheerleading Takes Third Place at NCA College Nationals
Elmira College cheerleading hit the road for its most-anticipated competition of the year when it traveled to Daytona Beach, FL, for the National Cheerleading Association Collegiate National competition on Thursday and Friday of this past week. EC cracked the Top-3 for the third straight season in what is regarded the most prestigious competition in collegiate cheerleading, finishing third out of a total 14 qualifying teams in the Division III All-Girl group.
 
The Soaring Eagles sat in fourth after the preliminary round on Thursday. The Purple and Gold posted a cumulative score of 90.63, which was enough to lift the team into the last eight for the final round on Friday. Elmira improved on its first-day score, by posting a cumulative team score of 92.23 to finish third overall. Included in that cumulative team score were a pair of second-ranked performances in both the jumps (9.23-of-10.00) and baskets (9.20-of-10.00) categories.
 
The third place finish brings to a conclusion the 2016 spring schedule for EC.
 
For more information on EC Cheerleading, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Lacrosse Stretches Win Streak in 11-7 Win Over Keuka College
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team had a somewhat abbreviated week with its Empire 8 Conference game against Hartwick College, originally scheduled for this past Saturday, postponed because of winter weather. The Purple and Gold did get to play their non-conference road contest at Keuka College earlier in the week. EC stretched its winning streak to three with an 11-7 victory over the Wolfpack.
 
Fast starts have buoyed the Soaring Eagles over their recent streak and played a big role in the win over Keuka. EC scored twice in the opening 44 seconds of play, while it posted a 4-0 run to begin the game. Moorea Spoljaric '16 continued her scoring ways with a natural hat-trick, while she added a fourth goal late in the half. However, what was most impressive about the contest was what the team was able to do without its standout senior.
 
With Spoljaric sidelined the entire second half because of accumulating a second yellow just before halftime, Hayley Baker '19 picked up the goal scoring load. The rookie netted two huge goals back-to-back to stem a three-goal run by Keuka that pulled the home side within a goal. Baker finished with three goals and one assist, notching her second straight hat-trick and third total during her debut season. She was named an EC Athlete of the Week for her performance on Monday morning.
 
The 11-7 win stretched the team's winning streak to three, which is the longest since a five-game run during the 2012 season.
 
For more information on EC Women's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Slow Start Dooms Men's Lacrosse in 7-5 Loss at Hartwick on Saturday
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team was back in Empire 8 action this past weekend when it hit the road to face Hartwick College on Saturday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles entered the weekend on a two-game win streak, which had pushed their record above .500 for the first time this season. Unfortunately, a slow start proved to be EC's undoing, as the Hawks downed Elmira 7-5.
 
A slow start proved to be Elmira's undoing in the contest. Although Skyler Pradelski '16 staked EC to a 1-0 lead with a man-up goal midway through the first quarter, the Soaring Eagles offense could gain little traction during the rest of the first half. Hartwick took advantage, scoring five unanswered goals in the second half en route to a 5-1 halftime lead.
 
The EC defense clamped down after the break, holding the Hawks to just two goals, which included a shutout over the final 22:57 spanning the third and fourth quarters. The offense concluded the game on a 4-1 run, but was unable to bridge the deficit in the 7-5 loss. Pradelski led the team with two goals, while Cameron Prior '17 finished with 12 saves in the losing effort.
 
For more information on EC Men's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Softball Drops Tight Twin-Bill at Stevens on Sunday
The Elmira College softball team jumped back into conference play when it headed down state for a clash against the Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday. Both ends of the doubleheader were very tightly contested with the Ducks coming out on top by 3-2 and 6-3 final scores.
 
Stevens jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of RBI-singles in the first inning off Elmira starter Emily Carlin '17. The third-year righty settled in after that, scattering seven Ducks hits over the next five innings. While Carlin navigated five clean innings, the EC offense staked a comeback.
 
Elmira halved the deficit on Maddy Johnson '19 RBI-double in the third inning. With one out in the seventh, the Soaring Eagles tied up the game when Miranda Keefe '18 came around on a fielder's choice by Chelsea Storch '17. Unfortunately, the Ducks were able to push the winning run across on walk-off double in the bottom of the frame.
 
The second game was a pitcher's duel, as Katie McDougal '18 and Stevens' Olivia Gemma traded zeros through the first five innings. Elmira took a 1-0 lead in the top of the sixth when Johnson ripped an RBI-single that scored Jacquelyn Heggie '16.
 
The Ducks responded with six runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. Gemma delivered the big blow, helping her own cause in the pitcher's circle, with a three-run homer. EC scored two in the top of the seventh, but could not complete the comeback.
 
Johnson's strong afternoon stretched her hitting streak to eight games to begin her EC career. She was named an EC Athlete of the Week on Monday morning.
 
For more information on EC Softball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Baseball Falls in Close Doubleheader Against Stevens
The Elmira College baseball team continued its Empire 8 Conference slate when it kicked off its second homestand of the season by welcoming Stevens Institute of Technology to Dunn Field. The Soaring Eagles and Ducks took on a twin-bill, sweeping both ends of the doubleheader by 3-0 and 12-3 final scores.
 
The opener was a tight contest with Nick Sampogna '18 locking in with reigning Empire 8 Pitcher and Player of the Year in Stevens' Jayson Yano. EC's second-year starter pitched a masterful game, limiting the Ducks' powerful offense to just three runs over 6.1 innings. Unfortunately, Elmira could do little with the bats against Yano, as the senior held EC to four hits in the complete game shutout.
 
EC grabbed an early lead in game two of the doubleheader. Dylan Bellinger '17 launched his second homerun of the season, while Conor Bawiec '18 singled and came around to score to give Elmira a 2-1 lead. After Stevens' tied the game, Nate Hanner '18 reestablished the Soaring Eagles lead with an RBI-double in the third inning.
 
The bullpen was Elmira's undoing in the nightcap, as the Ducks tagged Dennis Rudolph '18 for two runs in the fifth inning, while they later put up a seven-run spot in the eighth to break the game open.
 
For more information on EC Baseball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
The Week Ahead…
 
Friday, April 15, 2016
*Baseball vs. Houghton College, 6:00 p.m.
*Men's Tennis at Houghton College, 6:00 p.m.
 
Saturday, April 16, 2016
*Men's Tennis at Alfred University, 12:00 p.m.
*Women's Lacrosse at St. John Fisher College, 12:00 p.m.
*Men's Lacrosse vs. Alfred Univerity, 1:00 p.m.
*Baseball vs. Houghton College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
*Softball vs. St. John Fisher College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Golf at Empire 8 Championships (Hershey, PA)
Women's Golf at Le Moyne Invitational (Baldwinsville, NY)
 
Sunday, April 17, 2016
*Softball vs. Nazareth College (DH), 1:00 p.m.
*Baseball vs. Stevens Institute of Technology, 1:00 p.m.
*Men's Golf at Empire 8 Championships (Hershey, PA)
Women's Golf at Le Moyne Invitational (Baldwinsville, NY)
 
Bold Indicates Home Contest
*Indicates Conference Matchup