ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After earning a 3-0 season-opening victory over the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford last time out, the Elmira College softball team will open play inside the Empire 8 Conference this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders against No. 5-ranked St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College. EC battles the Cardinals of Fisher on Saturday, April 1, at 2:30 p.m. , before clashing with the Golden Flyers on Sunday, April 2, at 1:00 p.m. Both contests are scheduled to take place in Rochester, New York.
 
LAST TIME OUT: A strong pitching performance from Katie McDougal '18 was the difference in Elmira's season-opening win over Pitt-Bradford, as the third-year righty tossed a seven-inning complete-game shutout to hand the Purple and Gold a 3-0 victory. Although McDougal did not finish with a strikeout, the veteran pitcher changed speeds and locations masterfully en route to a four-hit shutout, the first seven-inning shutout of her collegiate career. Rookie shortstop Allie Krohn '20 and second-year first-basemen Emily Clark '19 delivered RBI hits for the Soaring Eagles in the win. Clark drove in one run in the bottom of the first inning on a single to center field, before Krohn laced a hot shot through the left side of the infield to score Samantha Jenkins '20 and Sarah Garner '20.
 
NOT MISSING A BEAT: Maddy Johnson '19 had a breakout freshman campaign in 2016 with her speed and consistent approach at the plate. The second-year outfielder picked up right where she left off, as Johnson went 3-for-4 with a run scored in Elmira's season-opening victory against Pitt-Bradford. It marked the third time in her career she has logged three hits in a single game.
 
SCOUTING ST. JOHN FISHER: The Cardinals of St. John Fisher head into the weekend with a 12-2 overall record and boast a No. 5 national ranking according to the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) national poll. St. John Fisher has won four straight heading into Saturday's bout, which includes doubleheader sweeps of Pitt-Bradford and Clarkson University. All eyes will be on Fisher's ace in the pitcher's circle, Lindsey Thayer, whose 0.27 earned run average ranks eighth in the country. Thayer also ranks second in the land in strikeouts per game (13.0) and is the national-leader in hits allowed per game (1.96). Offensively, the Cardinals have 10 players with batting averages of .300 or better, five of which sport an average of .412 or higher. Katie Mazierski leads Fisher with a .524 batting average and is second in runs scored with 15. Ashley Prince and Julia Sortisio sit one-two on the team in RBIs with 14 and 10, respectively.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: St. John Fisher holds a 41-22-1 lead in the all-time series against Elmira. The Cardinals enter the bout with four consecutive wins against the Soaring Eagles. EC's last win dates back to the 2014 season, when the Purple and Gold swept the regular season series at Eldridge Park Stadium by scores of 9-1 and 5-3.
 
SCOUTING NAZARETH: The Golden Flyers head into the weekend with a 7-3 overall record and open E8 play on Saturday against the Ducks of Stevens Institute of Technology. Nazareth has won two straight with victories over Crown (Minn.) and North Central (Ill.), both of which took place two weeks ago in Fort Myers, Florida. Rachel Mertens has been the key ingredient in Nazareth's success this season, as the senior pitcher boasts the conference's second-best earned run average (0.55) to go along with an unblemished 4-0 record. Marissa Tortora is having a breakout season at the plate with team highs in batting average (.500) and RBIs (9).
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Elmira and Nazareth have faced each other 24 times in their respective histories. The Golden Flyers hold a 14-10 lead in the all-time series and have won six of the last seven meetings. Elmira's last win came in the opening game of last year's doubleheader, a game that EC edged Nazareth by a single run, 6-5.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: EC's season continues with a non-conference twin bill against SUNY Canton on Monday, April 3. The opening pitch is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Eldridge Park Stadium in Elmira, New York.