Score: Elmira College 10 – Pitt-Bradford 3
Records: Elmira (13-22), Pitt-Bradford (12-22)
Location: Historic Dunn Field – Elmira, NY
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team concluded its home slate on Tuesday evening when EC kicked off the first of a two-game home-and-home series against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. The Soaring Eagles dominated proceedings from the first pitch, racking up 10 runs on 15 hits in a 10-3 victory over the Panthers.
 
Although Elmira baseball is nearing the finish line of its second season of existence, it was truly a special evening for the program as it honored the first graduating class to pass through the program. The Soaring Eagles held a special on-field pregame ceremony recognizing Mike Ladka '16, Rob Simpson '16, Brian Wehmeyer '16, and Dylan Bellinger '17.
 
The Elmira seniors played a huge role in the lopsided win. All four collected hits in the contest, while three of the four drove-in at least one RBI and two scored runs.
 
Right from the opening pitch, it was evident that the Purple and Gold were intent on securing a convincing victory in their home finale. Elmira starting pitcher, Nick Sampogna '18, retired the side in order in the top of the first. The Soaring Eagles wasted little time getting a lead for him to work with, plating four runs in the bottom half of the inning.
 
Hayden Rothenberg '17 drilled the first pitch of the game from the Pitt-Bradford starter, Matthew Hogue, deep into the right-center gap for a lead-off triple. Bryce Plante '18 brought him in during the ensuing at-bat, beginning a career night with a sacrifice fly to center. Just like that, Elmira led 1-0.
 
EC was far from done in the frame. Bellinger quickly got things rolling again, ripping a hard-hit one hopper that snuck past the Panthers' shortstop for an error. Conor Bawiec '18 drew a free pass to put runners on first and second, while Dennis Rudolph '18 dropped a single into right that chased Bellinger home. Nate Hanner '18 brought Bawiec around to score with a sacrifice fly to right, while Ladka capped the scoring with a RBI-single into right.
 
The lead was more than enough for Sampogna, who was electric in one of his finest outings of his career. He carried a perfect game into the fifth inning, retiring the first 14 batters he faced in the contest, before Pitt-Bradford was able to snap the string with a two-out single. The second-year righty went seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and tying a season-best with seven strikeouts.
 
While Elmira got strong pitching from its ace, the offense continued to add on. The Soaring Eagles chipped away with single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. The Purple and Gold turned things into a rout with a three-spot in the seventh that upped the advantage to 10-0.
 
The seniors were the primary creators of the offense over the middle innings. Back-to-back one-out doubles by Plante and Bellinger were responsible for the fourth inning run. Simpson drove-in the run in the fifth inning, lashing an RBI-single down the right-field line that brought home Hanner. Ladka collected his second RBI of the night in the sixth when his bases-loaded walk pushed Plante across.
 
The three-run seventh also was aided by the senior class. Plante drove home both Simpson and Rothenberg with a single through the middle of the drawn-in infield. After Bellinger reached on a fielder's choice, Bawiec brought him around with an RBI-single to center.
 
The Panthers were able to scratch across three runs in the eighth, as Joe Marigliano '17 had a rare tough outing. The Soaring Eagles would not let things get away, as Davis Salzman '18 cleaned up the mess. The second-year reliever retired the only two batters he faced to extinguish the Pitt-Bradford threat. Nick Cottone '19 navigated a one-out walk to lock down the contest with a strong ninth.

In His Own Words…
Head Coach Corey Paluga on the offensive approach…
"The offensive approach for us was very good. We were aggressive in early counts and that really helped us get out to an early lead. Whenever you can get those early runs it really takes the pressure off the pitching staff."
 
Paluga on Sampogna's strong start…
"I thought Nick put together one of the best outings of his college career tonight. He has stepped up this season and shown what he's capable of when he is on his game. He did a strong job of working down in the zone and throwing all of his pitches for strikes. When he does that, he is extremely tough to hit."
 
Paluga on the Class of 2016…
"It certainly was a special night for them. All four of our seniors got hits and three of them drove-in runs. Mike and Rob are not guys that have seen a lot of time in the lineup, so it was especially nice to see them step up and deliver strong performances tonight."
 
Paluga on the confidence taken from the convincing win…
"It most definitely gives our team confidence moving forward. If we can continue playing the way we did tonight it will certainly bode well for us tomorrow and moving forward. We have some big games coming up this weekend and it's certainly beneficial to have momentum going in the right direction with those contests."
 
Paluga on the growth of the program…
"For a second-year program, playing meaningful games near the end of the season is a testament to how far we have come as a program. The guys see what we are capable of when he are executing and playing to our potential. We'll look to continue to grow with some big contests this weekend."

 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outhit Pitt-Bradford 15-to-6 in the contest.
• Pitt-Bradford was charged with three errors, while Elmira committed one defensive miscue.
• Although the Soaring Eagles struck for 10 runs, they also left 12 men on base. Pitt-Bradford stranded seven runners.
• Nine Elmira batters collected hits, while three recorded multi-hit efforts.
• Plante had a huge game, going a perfect 4-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and three RBIs.
• Rothenberg finished 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored.
• Hanner went 3-for-4 with a run scored and one RBI.
• Bellinger finished 1-for-4 with a double and a walk, two runs scored, and one RBI.
• Simpson posted a 1-for-3 effort with one run scored and one RBI.
• Ladka went 1-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs.
• Bawiec and Rudolph each finished 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
• Wehmeyer went 1-for-5.
• Sampogna picked up the win, throwing seven scoreless innings of three-hit ball. He walked one and struck out seven.
• Salzman struck out one batter in his solid clean up during the eighth.
• Cottone recorded a scoreless inning with a walk and a strikeout.

 
News and Notes

• With the win, Elmira evened its record to 1-1 all-time against Pitt-Bradford.
• The Soaring Eagles extended its single-season high for wins with their 13^th of the season.
• Elmira finishes the season with a 6-11 record in contests played at Historic Dunn Field.
• EC honored its first graduating class in program history.
• All four graduating players collected hits in the contest.
• Plante set a new single-game career high with four hits. He also tied his career high with three RBIs.
• Hanner equaled his single-game career high with three hits.
• Despite not being a regular in the EC lineup, Ladka continued to produce with the bat. He notched his second multi-RBI game of the season. In only 15 official at-bats this season he has driven in eight RBIs.
• Sampogna was excellent on the mound. It was his first start in which he did not allow a run. He also tied a single-game career best with seven strikeouts.

 
Up Next
Elmira continues its series with Pitt-Bradford tomorrow afternoon with a 4:00 p.m. start at the Panthers home field.