Elmira College (5-11) vs. Alfred State (4-17)
Wednesday, April 20, 2016 | 3:00 P.M. | Eldridge Park Stadium – Elmira, NY
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- Elmira College softball's 10-game homestand comes to a close this evening, as the Soaring Eagles host Alfred State in a non-conference doubleheader at Eldridge Park Stadium with a 3:00 p.m. start.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira looked to snap a three-game skid yesterday evening, when the Soaring Eagles clashed with Lycoming College in a non-conference doubleheader. The Warriors of Lycoming held a 6-1 lead in game one, but Elmira rallied in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring three runs to trim the Warrior lead to 6-4. Chelsea Storch '17 drove in two runs in the inning on a one-out double that bounced off the left field fence, scoring Emily Clark '19 and Katie Day '16. Unfortunately, Elmira's next two batters would pop up, ending the comeback and sealing a two-run Lycoming win. Game two was all Lycoming, as the Warriors scored 12 runs on 15 hits to claim a 12-1 victory in a six inning shortened game.
 
Current Streaks
Maddy Johnson '19 and Jacquelyn Heggie '16 enter today's twinbill with a pair three-game hitting streaks. Heggie needs to hit safely in both games today to tie her season-long streak, while Johnson is a third of the way to her season-long streak of nine. Additionally, Johnson has reached base safely in four straight games, making the rookie left fielder EC's active leader in that statistical category.
 
Scouting the Pioneers
Alfred State owns a 4-17 record on the 2016 campaign and enters this afternoon's set of games on a six-game skid. The Pioneers took a pair of losses in its most recent doubleheader against SUNY Canton on April 16th, falling to the Kangaroos 10-7 and 11-3. Stormi Kruger is Alfred State's most consistent hitter, as the Medina, NY, native owns a team-leading .404 batting average. Kruger had hit safely in eight straight games, before seeing that streak snapped in an 0-for-2 effort against the Roos in the team's eight-run loss. Not only has Kruger swung a consistent bat, she has also hit for power with a team-high 21 RBIs. Also keep an eye on Lura O'Keefe, who is second on the team in runs batted in with 14. Defensively, the Pioneers have utilized the efforts of a pair of freshman pitchers in Tonia Tinker and Jordan Leonard. Tinker has seen the most time in the pitcher's circle (76.1 innings) and owns a team-leading 27 strikeouts. Leonard has had less work than her classmate, but she does have the most wins of either pitcher with three victories.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira and Alfred State have met just four times in their respective histories, with all four matchups occurring a season ago. The Soaring Eagles claimed wins in three of the four meetings, which included a series split at Eldridge Park on April 16, 2015.
 
Looking Ahead
The Soaring Eagles are back at it tomorrow afternoon, when the EC women travel to face Morrisville State in a non-league doubleheader at 3:00 p.m.