Elmira College (5-7, 3-7 E8) vs. #21 Ithaca College (20-6, 8-0 E8)
Monday, April 18, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Eldridge Park Stadium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College softball team continues its stretch of home games this afternoon with a 3:00 p.m. conference doubleheader with No. 21 nationally-ranked Ithaca College at Eldridge Park Stadium.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira split its most recent doubleheader against visiting Nazareth College. The Soaring Eagles erased a three-run deficit in the opening game of the twinbill, scoring twice in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure a 6-5 comeback win over the Golden Flyers. Chelsea Storch '17 led the charge with a team-high two RBIs, while Katie McDougal '18 tossed four scoreless innings in a winning effort. Nazareth responded with a 6-0 win in the nightcap, fueled mostly by a stellar pitching performance that limited the Soaring Eagles to just four hits.
 
Solid Defense from Storch
Chelsea Storch '17 has spent most of the 2016 season at second base, but Coach Faunce decided to mix things up against the Golden Flyers on Sunday afternoon, moving the second-year talent to third base. Storch, who was EC's primary third baseman a year ago, shined at the position on Sunday, flashing the glove on several occasions. In Elmira's 6-5 win over Nazareth, Storch registered a season-high seven assists, which included a timely double play that helped EC get out of a jam late in the game. Storch's seven assists are the most an Elmira player has recorded since Katie Dore '15 also totaled seven against Stockton University during the 2014 postseason. 
 
Scouting the Bombers
Ithaca College enters today's doubleheader at the top of the conference standings with a 20-6 overall record and an unblemished 8-0 mark in E8 games. The 21st-ranked Bombers are playing exceptionally well as of late, winning 11 of their last 12 games, with their only loss coming at the hands of Oneonta State five days ago, 3-1. Casey Gavin leads the Bomber offense with a .429 batting average, which ranks second in the Empire 8. Seven of Gavin's 27 hits have gone for extra bases, which includes one home run and a team-high six doubles. She has driven in 17 runs this year, just one off the pace set by the team's RBI leader, Hannah Anderson. Defensively, Laura Quicker has been Ithaca's first choice in the pitcher's circle. Quicker leads the Bombers in just about every major statistical category, including innings pitched (72.1), earned runs allowed (2.32), strikeouts (56), and wins (10).
 
All-Time Series
Since 2003, Ithaca has controlled the all-time series with Elmira. The Bombers are 27-2 in the previous 13 seasons, which includes a regular season series sweep in 2015. Elmira's last win in the series dates back to 2014, when the Soaring Eagles earned a 1-0 victory in the first game of a home doubleheader on an RBI single by Mikayla Bean '14.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira continues its stretch of home contests tomorrow, when the Soaring Eagles welcome the Warriors of Lycoming College for a 3:00 p.m. non-conference doubleheader at Eldridge Park Stadium.