Elmira College (9-19) vs. Penn College of Technology (12-21)
Wednesday, April 27, 2016 | 6:00 P.M. | Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Live Coverage | Twitter: @ECSoaringEagles
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team is back in action at Dunn Field on Wednesday evening when it welcomes the Pennsylvania College of Technology for a single nine-inning contest. First pitch is slated for 6:00 p.m.
 
Last Time Out
The Elmira College baseball team continued its non-conference road swing this past weekend when it traveled to SUNY New Paltz for a twin-bill on Saturday. The Hawks strong pitching staff limited the EC offense to just a single run in each contest. Dylan Bellinger '17 crushed a first inning solo-homer to give Elmira a brief 1-0 lead in the opening game; however, New Paltz pulled away as the game continued for a lopsided 12-1 win. The second game of the doubleheader was a classic pitchers' duel. Andy Reed '19 stymied the Hawks bats, holding the home side to just a single unearned run through the first six innings. In the Soaring Eagles final at-bat in the top of the seventh inning, Bellinger swatted a lead-off double and came around to score on a two-out RBI-double by Will Jenkins '18 to tie the game and force extras. Reed fired two more scoreless frames, before the Purple and Gold had to turn to the bullpen. Nick Cottone '19 waded through some trouble in the ninth, but was able to escape the jam; however, New Paltz ended things in the 10th when Nick DePietro knocked a 1-1 offering from Cottone over the fence for a walk-off homer.
 
Bellinger Bomb
Dylan Bellinger '17 perpetuated his power push during the second half of the season in the twin-bill over the weekend. He mashed his fourth homer of the season in the opening game with New Paltz, while he scored the tying run in Elmira's final at-bat after leading off the inning with a double. The effort brings his extra-base hit total to 18 on the season, putting him in a six-way tie for second place on the conference charts. Bellinger ranks fourth in the conference in doubles (14), fifth in RBIs (31), and tied for sixth in homeruns (4).
 
Jenkins Coming Through
While senior Brian Wehmeyer '16 has seen a majority of the innings behind the plate this season, Will Jenkins '18 has been a reliable presence at the other side of the catching platoon. As the schedule intensified, the second-year backstop has garnered more playing time and has made the most of the opportunity. In particular, Jenkins has shown some flashes with the bat, collecting hits in five straight appearances, while he has driven in three of his five RBIs on the season during that stretch. He came up with a clutch two-out game-tying RBI-double to force extra innings in EC's last contest against SUNY New Paltz.
 
All-Time Series
Elmira dropped its only other meeting with Penn College, falling 5-3 at home on April 7th of last season. Elmira held a 3-1 lead late into the game, but a three-run homer by catcher Zach Weil in the seventh inning pushed the Wildcats ahead for good.
 
Scouting Penn College
The Wildcats have posted a hot-and-cold season to this point, entering Wednesday with a record of 12-21. The second half has not been particularly kind to Penn College; however, the team has gone 2-2 over its last four games. Strong starting pitching is the Wildcats greatest asset. Aaron Palmer leads the way with a 4-2 record and 2.21 earned-run average. Four other Penn College arms hold ERAs of 3.75-or less. Cole Hoffman powers the offense. He leads the team with a .314 batting average, which includes a team-best nine doubles, one triple, and one homerun. His 20 RBIs also pace the squad.
 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action on Thursday, April 28th, when it makes the short trip to face non-conference rival Alfred State at 3:00 p.m.