Elmira College (8-16, 2-8 Empire 8) vs. Ithaca College (15-12, 6-3 Empire 8)
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 | 6:00 P.M. | Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team concludes its season-long homestand eight-game homestand on Wednesday evening when it welcomes Empire 8 Conference rival Ithaca College to Dunn Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira baseball has been on the wrong end of several heart-breaking contests recently. The trend continued on Tuesday evening, as the Soaring Eagles late comeback fell just short in a 5-4 loss to Alfred State at Dunn Field. Trailing 5-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, EC sparked a rally with two outs. With Hayden Rothenberg '17 on second base, Dylan Bellinger '17 cracked a double off the fence in dead-center to halve the deficit. On the very next pitch, Conor Bawiec '18 laced a single back through the box into centerfield. Bellinger was off on contact and charged home in an effort to tie the game, but Alfred State centerfielder, Austin Baker, made a perfect throw to cut down the EC first baseman in a bang-bang play at the plate.
 
Rothenberg Red Hot
Hayden Rothenberg '17 has played quality defense in centerfield all season, but got off to a bit of a slow start with the bat after posting one of the top batting averages on the team in 2015. The bat seems to be coming around for the EC centerfielder just in time for the stretch run, as Rothenberg enters Wednesday's contest with Ithaca College on a scintillating run. Rothenberg collected three hits for the second consecutive contest and has hit safely in seven of his last eight contests. He has gone 6-for-10 with a double, four runs scored, and three RBIs over his last two games. His batting average now sits at an even .300 for the season.
 
Career Best for Phelps
First-year pitcher Blake Phelps '19 got the spot start for EC on Tuesday and delivered the finest outing of his young career. He fired 6.0 innings of two-run ball, striking out a career-best five Alfred State hitters.
 
Extra-Extra
Dylan Bellinger '17 has been an extra-base machine during the 2016 season. He has already surpassed his extra-base hit total from last season (13), and continued to add on when he swatted his team-leading 12th double of the season in the ninth inning against Alfred State. Of his 34 hits, 15 have gone for extra-bases, as he also has three round-trippers to go along with the 12 two-baggers this season. Bellinger is tied for fourth among the conference's extra-base hit leaders.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira went 0-3 against Ithaca during EC's inaugural season in 2015. Although the first game was a 13-0 shutout by the Bombers, the next two contests were much tighter 9-4 and 8-4 decisions. Wednesday evening's contest will be the first meeting between the two programs at Dunn Field.
 
Scouting Ithaca
Offense is what makes the Bombers go, as Ithaca enters Wednesday night's contest as the conference's top scoring offense with 211 runs on the year. Ithaca boasts six lineup regulars with averages over .300, led by Matt Carey's .338 clip. The Bombers are a power-packed lineup with seven players that have connected for homeruns this season. Sam Little is a fearsome presence in the heart of the Ithaca order. He is tied for the conference lead with 31 RBIs, while he is tied for third with five homers on the year. The pitching staff is led by Tyler Hill, who carries 3.66 earned-run average into Wednesday. He has limited opponents to a .231 batting average, while he has fired two complete games this season.
 
Up Next
Elmira baseball jumps back into non-conference play on Thursday, April 21st, when it travels to Keuka College for a 3:00 p.m. start.