Score: Elmira College 7 – Pitt-Bradford 2
Records: Elmira (14-22), Pitt-Bradford (12-23)
Location: Kessel Athletics Complex – Bradford, PA
 
Elmira, NY -- The Elmira College baseball team was right back in action on Wednesday afternoon when it hit the road to face the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford in the second game of the non-conference home-and-home series. The Soaring Eagles powered past the Panthers for a 7-2 victory to sweep the season series.
 
Less than 24-hours after Elmira scored a convincing victory over Pitt-Bradford in its home finale at Dunn Field, the Purple and Gold looked to carry the momentum to the road. EC put together another convincing performance both on the mound and in the batter's box and will certainly be brimming with confidence heading into a crucial weekend slate of Empire 8 Conference games.
 
While the Soaring Eagles were the ones that jumped out to an early lead last night, the Panthers gained the early edge in today's contest. Pitt-Bradford scratched across a pair of runs in the bottom of the second inning, taking advantage of some erratic pitching from Elmira starter, Blake Phelps '19, and a little shaky glove work behind him. The Panthers first run came across when Austin Parent came home on a wild pitch. Timothy Brown scored the second run of the inning, after reaching on a throwing error by EC third baseman Nate Hanner '18.
 
Pitt-Bradford starter, Ryan Boyer, shut down the Soaring Eagles the first time through the order, but ran into trouble in his second go-round. EC struck for three runs in the top of the fourth to snag a lead it would not relinquish.
 
Dylan Bellinger '17 opened the inning with a double to left-center, his first of two two-baggers on the afternoon. Conor Bawiec '18 followed with a bunt single that put runners on the corners with no outs. Hanner atoned for his earlier mistake in the field by lashing an RBI-single to right. From there, the Panthers hurt themselves with some defensive miscues of their own. Bawiec came in to score on a failed pickoff attempt by the Pitt-Bradford catcher, while Hanner came around to score on a throwing error by the pitcher, who was trying to retire Will Jenkins '18 on an infield single.
 
The lead was more than enough for Phelps and the EC bullpen, but the offense erased any doubt by adding on in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away.
 
Hayden Rothenberg '17 got the inning started in the seventh with a lead-off double to left. Bryce Plante '18 sacrificed him to third, but it proved unnecessary, as Bellinger bashed his second double of the afternoon to bring Rothenberg home. Bawiec traded places with Bellinger in the ensuing at-bat, as he two smashed a two-bagger, while Hanner capped the scoring two batters later with an RBI-single to right.
 
The Purple and Gold got things going with two outs in the eighth. Rothenberg knocked a single up the middle, while the inning was prolonged when Plante reached on a defensive miscue by Pitt-Bradford's third baseman. Bellinger made them pay by dumping a single down the left-field line to bring Rothenberg around.
 
Phelps went five innings, before turning things over to the Elmira bullpen. The initial two runs, only one earned, were all Pitt-Bradford could muster off the EC rookie, who notched his second victory in as many weeks.
 
Nick Cottone '19, Andy Reed '19, and Bawiec combined to shutout the Panthers over the final four innings. Cottone went two innings, allowing one hit and striking out two. Reed allowed one walk in a solid inning of work, while Bawiec retired the side in order in the ninth to close things out.
 
Inside the Box Score

• Elmira outhit Pitt-Bradford 13-to-4 in the contest.
• The Panthers were charged with four errors, while the Soaring Eagles had one defensive miscue.
• EC easily could have added even more runs, as it left nine men on base. Pitt-Bradford stranded six base runners.
• EC had seven batters collect hits, while four recorded multi-hit efforts.
• Bellinger led the way, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
• Rothenberg went 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.
• Bawiec finished with a 2-for-5 effort, which included a double. He scored twice and also drove in one run.
• Hanner went 2-for-5 with a run scored and two RBIs.
• Plante finished 1-for-4 with a double.
• Dennis Rudolph '18 and Jenkins each finished 1-for-5 and added a stolen base.
• Phelps went 5.0 innings, relinquishing three hits and issuing one walk. He allowed two runs, but only one earned, in recording his second win in as many weeks.
• Cottone went 2.0 innings, allowing one hit and striking out a pair.
• Reed issued one walk in a relatively clean inning.
• Bawiec locked things down with a scoreless 1-2-3 ninth.

 
News and Notes

• With the win, Elmira secured a season sweep over Pitt-Bradford.
• Elmira is now 2-1 all-time against Pitt-Bradford.
• EC finishes the season with a 10-11 mark against true non-conference opponents; however, the Soaring Eagles will play Empire 8 foe, SUNY Canton, in a non-league matchup in the second game of a doubleheader this coming Sunday, May 8^th.
• Bellinger collected two more doubles to raise his season total to 19. He has four doubles over his last four games.
• Bellinger now has 18 multi-hit efforts on the season to up his team-leading total.
• Rothenberg became Elmira's second player to hit double-digits in doubles. He collected his 10^th two-base hit of the season in the seventh.
• Rothenberg has now scored at least one run in seven straight games.
• Hanner continued to stay hot in today's game. He recorded two more hits and has now recorded multi-hit efforts in four of his last five contests. He is batting .409 (9-for-22) with three runs scored and eight RBIs over that five-game stretch.
• Rudolph became Elmira's third player to collect double-digit steals on the year, notching his 10^th of the season in the second inning.
• Phelps picked up his second win of the season, upping his record to 2-3.
• Cottone has now made three straight scoreless appearances. He has only allowed one run over his last five appearances, which have spanned 6.1 innings of work.

 
Up Next
Elmira begins a crucial Empire 8 weekend on Saturday, May 7^th, when it makes the short trip up Route 13 to face Ithaca College in a doubleheader beginning at noon. The Soaring Eagles need to secure at least a split of the series to remain in contention for the fourth and final berth to the conference tournament. EC concludes the season on Sunday, May 8^th, when it faces SUNY Canton in a twin-bill also slated to begin at noon. The first game of the doubleheader will count towards the conference standings and is a must-win game for Elmira to advance to the conference tournament.