Score: Houghton College 5, Elmira College 4
Score: Elmira 20, Houghton 6
Record: Elmira (5-5, 3-1 E8), Houghton (8-10, 1-4 E8)
Location: Kerr-Pagula Athletic Complex -- Houghton, New York

HOUGHTON, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team recovered from a one-run loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and belted a season-high 20 hits en route to a blowout victory in the second game of the afternoon against Houghton College.

Although the Soaring Eagles scratched across three runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a 4-3 lead, the Highlanders responded with two runs of their own the secure a 5-4 walk-off victory in the first matchup. On the other hand, late game was all Elmira from the start, as EC recorded season highs for runs and hits in a 20-6 throttling of the hosts from Houghton.

The Highlanders held the Soaring Eagles off of the board until the fifth inning in the opening game. Matt van Muelken '18 was plunked by Houghton starter Victor Cavalieri to lead off the frame. He advanced to second on a single from Cameron Heggie '18 and eventually came around to score on a sac fly off the bat of Tommy Fogarty '20, cutting the Highlanders' lead in half, 2-1. Houghton extended its lead back to two in the bottom half of the sixth, as Bryan Hodge led off with a double and was plated on a John Zamites base knock.

Down 3-1, the Soaring Eagles managed to take the lead by scoring thrice in the top of the seventh, all while registering just one hit in the inning. Nate Hanner '18 reached base safely on an error and scored two batters later on another Houghton miscue. van Muelken was issued a free pass and tied the game by scoring on a Heggie RBI groundout. Fogarty followed with EC's lone hit of the seventh, a simple single back up the middle that allowed Will Jenkins '18 to score from third and gave the Purple and Gold a 4-3 advantage.

That lead was shortlived, as Houghton taxed Elmira closer Nick Cottone '19 for back-to-back double, knotting the game at 4-all. Senior Garret Kirkpatrick then played hero for the Highlanders, driving in the game-winning run to complete the come-from-behind victory.

Elmira didn't wait until the final innings to score in the nightcap, though. EC posted season highs for runs scored (20), hits (20), RBIs (14), walks (10), and doubles (5), while lighting up the scoreboard with crooked numbers in four of the first five innings.

A one-run double from Dylan Bellinger '17 and a two-run two-bagger from Jansen Crossley '20 vaulted the visitors to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Houghton starter John Kopicky then walked the bases loaded in the second before a Bellinger sac fly scored Bryce Plante '18 from third. A wild pitch from Kopicky allowed Fogarty to score, and EC's cushion was 5-0 after two innings.

Houghton wasn't going down without a fight, as the Highlanders scored five runs in the second and third to draw the score even.

However, in the fourth and fifth innings, the Soaring Eagles turned the late game into a rout, plating a combined 13 runs on 14 hits. None of Elmira's hits in the top of the fourth went for extra bases; the Soaring Eagles played simple station-to-station baseball and scored seven runs on seven singles, with a handful of walks and wild pitches mixed in. In the fifth, Bellinger and Jenkins flashed the bats with run-scoring doubles, the latter from the third-year catcher coming with the bases loaded. Jenkins' three-run double widened the gap to 17-5 in favor of EC.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Corey Paluga on overcoming another loss in the first game of a doubleheader to win the second...
"Our team has done a great job of having a short-term memory with regards to our game one losses (to Houghton and Wells College). We emphasize focusing on the 'next' and not living in the 'last', and we were able to do that again today."

Coach Paluga on the adjustments Elmira made at the plate in the late game...
"We were able to get hits with runners on base, and take advantage of walks and defensive miscues."

Coach Paluga when asked about some of the most impressive performances of the afternoon...
"Heggie, Jenkins, and Plate, our seventh, eighth, and ninth guys in the lineup. They did an outstanding job of having good at-bats with runners on base. Their success today was a big reason for the win."

Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• Heggie finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and one stolen base.
• Fogarty was had one hit and a team-high two RBIs.
• Nick Sampogna '18 earned the no-decision after giving up three runs with five strikeouts in 6.0 innings of work.
• Five different Highlanders had multiple hits, led by Johnson, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
• Cavalieri earned the complete-game win on the mound for Houghton by surrendering four runs on four hits with seven strikeouts.

Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• Elmira scored 20 runs on 20 hits.
• Eight different Soaring Eagles had a hit and seven had multiple hits.
• Conor Bawiec '18 paced the team with four hits, going 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs.
• Bellinger was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three more driven in.
• Jenkins was 2-for-4 with a team-leading four RBIs.
• Heggie finished 3-for-6 with three runs scored.
• Plante was 3-for-4 at the dish with two RBIs.
• Andy Reed '19 received the win despite giving up six runs on 13 hits.
• Reed struck out two and did not issue a walk in 6.0 innings.
• Scott Logue '20 and Garinder Singh Sarana '20 combined for three scoreless innings of relief.
• Kopicky took the loss for Houghton, having allowed 11 runs on seven hits and seven walks in just 3.2 innings.

News and Notes

• Elmira remains .500 overall at 5-5 on the season.
• EC is now 3-1 inside Empire 8 play.
• In the second game of a doubleheader in 2017, Elmira is a perfect 3-0.
• The Soaring Eagles are 4-5 all-time against Houghton and 4-4 in conference games.
• The 20 runs scored and 20 hits in game two are the second-most in a single game in program history.
• Four RBIs are a career high for Jenkins and one shy of the single-game program record.
• Bawiec tied his previous career high with four hits in the nightcap.
• Bellinger tied an EC record for doubles in a game with two in the late game.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will return to historic Dunn Field for a non-conference game on Sunday, April 2, against the Wildcats of Cazenovia College. First pitch has been pushed back from its original 1:00 p.m. start time to 4:00 p.m.