Elmira College (9-17) at SUNY New Paltz (16-12-2)
Saturday, April 23, 2016 | 12:00 & 3:00 P.M. | Loren Campbell Memorial Field – New Paltz, NY
 
Live Coverage
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team continues its non-conference road swing this Saturday when it heads to SUNY New Paltz for a twin-bill beginning at 12:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
Elmira picked up its ninth victory of the season in its last contest, a 10-9 victory at Keuka College on Thursday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles broke the game open with a seven-run fourth inning in which Elmira had nine of its first 10 hitters reach base safely. EC tacked on two more runs in the seventh to extend the lead to 10-1; however, Keuka responded against the EC bullpen. The Wolfpack scored four runs in both the seventh and eighth innings to cut what once was a nine-run advantage for Elmira to a single run. Nick Cottone '19 settled the ship for the Soaring Eagles, firing a strong ninth inning to lock down the victory and his first collegiate save. Dennis Rudolph '18 led all players with four hits in the contest, while Nate Hanner '18 and Bryce Plante '18 each collected three hits apiece in the contest.
 
Hanner Hammers Homer
Nate Hanner '18 has developed into a reliable source of offense as the season has moved along. He posted a career game to spark the EC offense in the victory over Keuka on Thursday. Hanner finished with a career-best three hits in five at-bats, which included a solo homerun, the first round-tripper of his collegiate career. He finished with two runs scored and two RBIs in the contest. The big effort upped his batting average to an extremely solid .275 on the year.
 
Plante's Big Day
Bryce Plante '18 has gone through some ebbs and flows over the course of his second collegiate season. He posted a game to remember on Thursday against the Wolfpack, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances to set a new career best. The EC infielder went 3-for-3 with two walks, scoring two runs and driving in two RBIs. It marked the second third three-hit game of his collegiate career.
 
Lengthy Streaks
Conor Bawiec '18 continued his incredible 2016 season with two more hits in five official at-bats on Thursday. The base-knocks upped his hitting streak to 12 straight games, while he has now reached base safely in 36 consecutive contests. He has now collected at least one hit in 34 of his last 35 games.
 
All-Time Series
This Saturday marks the first meetings between Elmira and SUNY New Paltz.
 
Scouting New Paltz
The Hawks have posted a solid season to-date, entering Friday with a 16-12-2 record on the season. SUNY New Paltz will play New York University in a doubleheader on Friday, before facing Elmira in the twin-bill on Saturday. The team has been on solid run of late, winning five of the last eight contests. SUNY New Paltz boasts a deep lineup with six batters entering play on Friday with batting averages over .300. Tyler Bell paces the group, hitting at a .355 clip on the season. Taylor Anderson provides some thump for the Hawks, hitting .318 with seven doubles, one homer, and a team-leading 18 RBIs. Pitching is the strength of the team, as the staff has posted a combined 4.54 earned-run average on the season. Justin Stybel has been nothing short of spectacular for the Hawks, entering the weekend with a minimal 1.15 ERA, while holding opponents to a miniscule .153 batting average.
 
Looking Ahead
Elmira returns to action on Tuesday, April 26^th, when the team heads to Utica, NY, to conclude its season series with the Pioneers. EC will begin the day's action by resuming its previously started contest with Utica, which Elmira leads 10-5 in the sixth inning. The teams then will finish the series with a nine-inning contest. Action is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m.