Score: Ithaca College 12 – Elmira College 6
Records: Ithaca (16-12, 7-3 Empire 8), Elmira (8-17, 2-9 Empire 8)
Location: Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team concluded its season-long eight-game homestand on Wednesday evening when it welcome Route 13 rival Ithaca College to Historic Dunn Field. Unfortunately, the EC offense could not keep up with the Bomber bats in a 12-6 loss.
 
The Soaring Eagles sent Nick Sampogna '18 to the mound to begin the contest. The righty has emerged as a breakout rotation stalwart during his second season, but struggled to limit a potent Ithaca offense that came into the matchup with the most runs scored in the Empire 8 Conference this season.
 
Although Sampogna did a good job of limiting the damage early on, holding the Bombers to single runs in the first, second, and fourth innings, to take a 3-0 lead. EC had its chances during the early portion of the contest as well, but the Soaring Eagles stranded seven base runners over the opening four innings.
 
The Bombers broke the game open in the fifth, in the process chasing Sampogna after just 4.2 innings of work, which marked his shortest start of the season. It again looked as though the Verplanck, NY, native was going to escape with just a single run against. Sampogna retired two straight Ithaca hitters, after Josh Savacool and Brennan McCormack led off the inning with a single and double, respectively. However, the Bombers' Webb Little bashed an RBI-single, which was misplayed by EC centerfielder Hayden Rothenberg '17 setting up another two runs to come across.
 
The Elmira bullpen also struggled to contend with the visitors' potent lineup. The Bombers scratched three more runs off of EC reliever Mike Ladka '16 in the sixth to up the advantage to 10-0. Despite the sizeable deficit, Elmira did not back down and began to launch another late-inning comeback in the bottom of the frame.  
 
Nate Hanner '18 and Brian Wehmeyer '16 set the table for the Soaring Eagles, leading off the sixth with back-to-back singles. After Bryce Plante '18 grounded into a fielder's choice, putting runners on the corners, Rey Colon '18 reached on an error by the Ithaca shortstop, which brought home Elmira's first run. Hayden Rothenberg '17 continued his strong work in the batter's box later in the inning, bashing a two-out RBI-single up the middle to bring home Plante.
 
Although the Bombers got one run back in the top of the seventh, the Elmira offense made things interesting in the bottom of the frame. Harrison Zambarano '19 lined an opposite-field RBI-single into left field with the bases loaded, bringing home Dylan Bellinger '17, who led off the inning with a single. Cameron Heggie '18 followed with an RBI-walk in an excellent display of patience. Rothenberg again came up with a huge hit, bringing home Zambarano and Plante with a single back through the box. Unfortunately, the rally came to an end with two runners on base, as Dennis Rudolph '18 flew out to center leaving the Ithaca advantage at 11-6.
 
Elmira never got closer, as Ithaca's Andrew Bailey settled in for two scoreless innings to lock things down for the Bombers.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Ithaca outhit Elmira 19-to-12 in the contest.
• Elmira committed two defensive miscues, while Ithaca was charged with one error in the game.
• EC left 11 men on base, while the Bombers stranded eight base runners in the game.
• Seven Elmira batters collected hits in the contest.
• Rothenberg and Bellinger both posted three-hit efforts.
• Rothenberg finished 3-for-5 with three RBIs.
• Bellinger went 3-for-4 with a double, walk, and a run scored.
• Conor Bawiec '18 reached base four times, going 2-for-3 and also drawing two walks.
• Hanner went 1-for-5 with two runs scored.
• Wehmeyer finished 1-for-5.
• Zambarano and Jack Thistle '18 were both productive off the bench. Zambarano went 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored, while Thistle collected a single in his lone at-bat.
• Sampogna made his shortest outing of the season, going only 4.2 innings and allowing seven runs, with five of them earned. He relinquished 11 hits and struck out two.
• Mike Ladka '16 allowed three runs, all earned in 0.2 innings of work.
• Andy Reed '19 posted a solid relief appearance, going 3.0 innings and allowing one run on three hits.
• Andrew Ashworth '19 made his first appearance in over a month to close out the contest. He allowed three hits and one run in two-thirds of an inning.

 
News and Notes

• With the loss, Elmira falls to 0-4 all-time against Ithaca College.
• EC went 2-6 on its season-long homestand.
• The Soaring Eagles have now dropped four straight contests since taking the first two games of the Houghton series.
• Rothenberg collected three hits for the third consecutive contest.
• Rothenberg has collected nine hits in his last 15 at-bats.
• Bellinger collected an extra-base hit for the third straight game and four out of his last five contests overall.
• Bawiec stretched his hitting streak to 11 games and his on-base streak to 36 games dating back to last season.
• Bawiec has now collected at least one hit in 33 of his last 34 games. He has a hit in 24 of the team's 25 games this season.
• Sampogna marked a season low for innings in a start, while he allowed a season-high five earned runs. His string of quality starts was snapped at five.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action tomorrow afternoon when it hits the road to face Keuka College in a non-conference clash. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.