Elmira, NY -- The spring season came to an end for six of the seven Elmira College spring sports programs this past week. Both golf and lacrosse programs wrapped up their final contests of the regular season, while softball and men's tennis also finished up their schedules over the weekend. Baseball is lone remaining program with games left, as the team makes a final push for a postseason berth. Get caught up on all the action in our latest edition of Soaring Eagles Weekly!
 
Headlines for the Week Ahead
 
Baseball Recognizes Graduating Class on Tuesday vs. Pitt-Bradford
The Elmira College baseball team will celebrate its graduating class when it welcomes the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford for a 7:00 p.m. contest at Historic Dunn Field. The Soaring Eagles will honor four graduating members who will be competing in their home finale on Tuesday, May 3^rd. EC will recognize Mike Ladka '16, Rob Simpson '16, Brian Wehmeyer '16 and Dylan Bellinger '17 in a pregame ceremony approximately 30 minutes before first pitch.
 
Baseball Set to Make-Up Crucial Conference Contests
With inclement weather wreaking havoc with the schedule during the regular season, Elmira baseball will make-up three Empire 8 contests that will have major implications for the fourth and final conference tournament berth. The Soaring Eagles have two games remaining with Route 13 rival Ithaca College and one final contest with SUNY Canton. No official dates or times have been set for the contests, but an official announcement should be released shortly. Stay tuned to the EC Athletics website for more information.
 
All-Empire 8 Announcements To Be Released Later This Week
With the regular season at an end, All-Empire 8 award announcements for spring sports programs are due to come out over the course of the coming two weeks. The EC Athletics website and social media platforms will be updated with all the breaking information.
 
Registration for Purple and Gold Golf Outing Still Open
Spots are filling up fast, but there are still open slots remaining for the upcoming Purple and Gold Golf Outing, which is set to be held on Saturday, May 21^st. The deadline to register your team is Friday, May 6^th. For more information on the event, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
46^th Annual Elmira College Athletics Award Banquet Coming Up
The EC Athletic Department is set to host its 46^th Annual Elmira College Athletics Award Banquet on Monday, May 23^rd. Stay tuned to the EC Athletics website for more information on the event as the date gets closer.
 
A Look Back at the Week That Was…
 
Baseball Still Alive For E8 Tournament Berth After 3-3 Week
The Elmira College baseball team entered the most crucial week of its schedule needing some big wins in conference play to keep its conference tournament hopes alive. The Soaring Eagles picked up pair of huge wins over Utica College, as well as a lopsided non-conference win over the Pennsylvania College of Technology in a 3-3 week.
 
EC started the week with a big 11-2 victory over Penn College this past Wednesday, April 27^th. Dylan Bellinger '17 and Nick Sampogna '18 bashed homeruns, while Blake Phelps '19 threw three scoreless innings to notch his first career win.
 
The Soaring Eagles picked up a couple huge results when it jumped back into Empire 8 play at Utica College on Friday, April 29^th. The Soaring Eagles pulled away when the teams resumed a previously suspended game, which Elmira led 10-5 in the sixth inning, running away for a 16-5 win. EC jumped out to a big lead in the second game of the day and held on for a 10-7 victory over the Pioneers to pull into serious striking distance of the fourth conference tournament berth.
 
Unfortunately, the hopes took a bit of the hit on Saturday, April 30^th, when SUNY Canton took both ends of doubleheader with 10-4 and 6-5 wins over Elmira. The Purple and Gold held a 5-4 lead late in game two, but the Roos tacked on a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh and held on for the one-run win.
 
With the two losses, Elmira will need to win at least two of the final three conference games, with one of the wins needing to come against SUNY Canton to stay in the race for the postseason.
 
Hayden Rothenberg '17 had a huge week, collecting 11 hits in 21 at-bats (.524) with six runs scored, three RBIs, and five stolen bases. He was named an EC Athlete of the Week on Monday morning.
 
For more information on EC Baseball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Softball Celebrates Graduating Class, Splits Doubleheader with Penn College
The Elmira College softball program honored three members of its graduating Class of 2016 this past Monday, April 25^th. EC split the scheduled twin-bill against the Wildcats, concluding the season with a 10-14 record.
 
The Soaring Eagles jumped out to a sizeable 5-0 advantage in the opening game. Maddy Johnson '19 opened the scoring with an RBI-double, while Jacquelyn Heggie '16 launched a single up the middle that brought home two more runs later in the inning. Johnson finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, as EC added on to the advantage over the next two innings.
 
Katie McDougal '18 notched the win for EC, tossing four scoreless innings. She allowed four hits and a walk, while she fanned two Wildcat hitters. Marisa Bernardi '18 allowed three hits, but also struck out two in one scoreless inning to close things out.
 
EC honored Alicia Day '16, Julie Heggie '16, and Jacquelyn Heggie '16 in a ceremony between contests.
 
Unfortunately, EC could not keep the momentum in game two. Penn College scored runs in the final three innings to take the game by a 4-0 final.
 
For more information on EC Softball, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Clarke Ties Career-Best as Women's Golf Concludes Season
The Elmira College women's golf team wrapped up its season on Saturday, April 30^th, when it traveled to Lakeside Country Club in Penn Yan, NY, for a dual match against Keuka College. Although the Soaring Eagles lost the head-to-head battle against the Wolfpack, Audrey Clarke '18 had an especially strong conclusion to her season.
 
Clarke tied her career low round with a 79 (+7) to finish as the top competitor on the day by four strokes over Holly Reynolds. It was the third time Clarke has broken 80 this season, each time marking a 79.
 
For more information on EC Women's Golf, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Golf Finishes in Fifth at Final Tournament of the Season
The Elmira College men's golf team concluded the season this weekend at the two-day Oswego State Spring Invitational. The Soaring Eagles finished in fifth-place out of the eight-team field with a team score of 690 (+122).
 
Brandon Payne '17 had a nice bounce back round after a tough showing at the Elmira College Spring Invitational earlier in the week, carding rounds of 84 (+13) and 86 (+15) to finish in 15^th-place out of 37 competitors. Jake Lawson '16 marked the low-round for the squad on day two with a score of 82 (+11).
 
For more information on EC Men's Golf, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Women's Lacrosse Goes 1-1 in Season's Final Week
The Elmira College women's lacrosse team split the final two games of the regular season this past week, scoring a lopsided victory over Hilbert College to finish the season with a 6-9 record.
 
The Soaring Eagles completely dominated the Hawks in a midweek matchup this past Thursday, April 28^th. EC cruised to a 14-2 lead at halftime and tacked on four more goals in the second half en route to an 18-5 win. Moorea Spoljaric '16 continued her huge season with seven points on six goals and one assist.
 
Unfortunately, the offense was held in check on Saturday, Apri 30^th, when EC wrapped up the conference slate against the Stevens Institute of Technology in the home finale. The Ducks controlled things from the outset in a 20-4 loss.
 
The Soaring Eagles honored Ali Barber '16, Hannah Rafalowski-Houseman '16, Laura Powell '16, Kara Yakel '16 and Spoljaric in a special pregame ceremony prior to the start of the contest.
 
For more information on EC Women's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Lacrosse Goes 0-2 in Final Week
The Elmira College men's lacrosse team closed out the 2016 regular season this past week, dropping a pair of contests to Ithaca College and Utica College to conclude the season with a 4-9 record.
 
EC opened the week by welcoming then-second-ranked Ithaca to Campus Field for Elmira's home finale. The Bombers showcased why they are regarded as one of the nation's top teams, scoring seven goals in each of the first three quarters en route to a 22-3 win.
 
The Soaring Eagles battled Utica hard through the opening half of the season finale on Saturday. EC and the Pioneers entered the halftime break tied at 3-3, but Utica pulled away with 10 goals in the second session to deal Elmira a 13-4 loss.
 
Despite the high goal total, net-minder Cameron Prior '17 had a solid effort in both games. In the home finale at Campus Field against then-No. 2 Ithaca College, he tied his season high with 24 saves, while posting a .533 save percentage. On April 30th against Utica College, the 6-foot-5, 240-pounder denied the Pioneers on 20 occasions, marking his sixth game of the year with 20-or-more saves.
 
For more information on EC Men's Lacrosse, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
Men's Tennis Finishes Historic Season With Pair of Contests
The Elmira College men's tennis team had a bit of a sour conclusion to what was a historic season for the program in terms of team wins. The Soaring Eagles dropped matches to Ithaca College and St. John Fisher College to end the year 9-10.
 
Sunday, May 1^st, against the Cardinals marked Elmira's home finale. The Soaring Eagles dropped a tight one against St. John Fisher by a 5-4 final margin. Patrick Tracey '18 picked up a pair of wins on the final day. His singles win, a 6-4, 7-6 (8-6) decision over Fisher's Jacob Zarzycki, pushed him into first-place on the program's single-season wins list with 13 on the year. He was named an EC Athlete of the Week on Monday morning.
 
The Soaring Eagles honored extremely decorated netters Satchal Waters '16 and Austin Mansell '16 in a ceremony honoring the graduating Class of 2016.
 
For more information on EC Men's Tennis, please visit the following link: CLICK HERE.
 
A Look Ahead…
 
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Baseball vs. University of Pittsburgh at Bradford (Senior Recognition Day), 7:00 p.m.
 
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
Baseball at University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, 4:00 p.m.
 
To Be Announced^
*Baseball at Ithaca College (DH)
*Baseball at SUNY Canton
 
Bold Indicates Home Contest
*Indicates Empire 8 Conference Matchup
^Dates and times for baseball's Empire 8 Conference makeups to be announced in the near future