Game One: Elmira College 7 – Alfred State College 6
Game Two: Elmira College 12 – Alfred State College 11
Records: Elmira (7-8), Alfred State (2-16)
Location: Pioneer Park – Alfred, N.Y.
 
ALFRED, N.Y. -- Elmira College softball saw its best offensive performance of the season in its doubleheader sweep of non-conference foe Alfred State College. EC earned a comeback 7-6 victory in the opening game and scored a season-high 12 runs in a hard-fought 12-11 win in the nightcap of the early-week twin bill at Pioneer Park

The Soaring Eagles started off the opening game of the doubleheader quickly, as a Rachel Katzenberger '19 double to left center plated Chelsea Storch '17 to give EC the early 1-0 lead.

Elmira struck again in the bottom of the second inning, with Hannah Vignone '19 doubling down the left field line and getting driven home one batter later on a Pioneers' error. With the run, the Soaring Eagles expanded their lead to 2-0.

Alfred State did not stay down without a fight, however, as Courtney McDaniel sent a ball over Maddy Johnson '19 in centerfield for a double. The two-bagger plated two runners and tied the score at 2-all.

Sloppy fielding in the bottom of the fourth inning allowed the Pioneers to add to their run total. Errors by Allie Krohn '20 and Storch permitted Alfred State to take a 5-2 lead.

Emily Clark '19 pulled the Soaring Eagles to within one run with the first of her team-high five RBIs on the day with a RBI single to left field in the top of the fifth frame.

Facing a three-run deficit, 6-3, in the top of the seventh inning, EC started a comeback attempt. Clark started the run with a double to left center that plated Samantha Jenkins '20. Freshman Cassie Hill '20 continued the comeback with a pinch-hit RBI single to draw the margin back to 6-5. Sarah Garner '20 tied the score at 6-all with a RBI single to shallow left field.

The comeback was complete, now Elmira had to figure out a way to take the lead. Hannah Lundgren '18 was up for the challenge, as her RBI single with two outs gave the Soaring Eagles the decisive 7-6 advantage.

The contest became tense in the home half of the seventh, as the Pioneers put two runners on with two outs. Despite this adversity, Katie McDougal '18 held strong to earn her fourth win of the season.

The start of the second game of the twin bill mirrored the first, as the two teams traded the lead multiple times. EC began the scoring in the top of the first, with Johnson getting home from third base on a wild pitch. The Pioneers retook the lead in the bottom of the frame with a RBI single and an unearned run on a fielding error. 

Elmira took back the advantage in the top of the second inning, 5-2, plating four in the frame. The Soaring Eagles combined RBI singles from Johnson, Storch and Garner with a RBI from Clark on a fielder's choice to fuel the high-scoring inning. Two RBI singles from the Pioneers evened the score at 5-all in the bottom of the second.

The back-and-forth affair continued, as a pair of two-run RBI singles from Storch and Clark in the third and fifth frames, respectively, gave EC the lead back, 9-5.
The Soaring Eagles added three more runs in the seventh inning extend its lead to six runs, 12-6. RBI singles from McDougal and Lundgren were accountable for the insurance runs.

Although Elmira took a commanding 12-6 advantage into the home half of the seventh inning, the contest was far from over. Annie Corrao started the Pioneer's run with a two-run triple to cut EC's advantage to 12-8. A RBI single and a run scored on a fielding error in back-to-back at-bats further lessened the Soaring Eagles advantage, 12-10. A run scored on a groundout, put the Pioneers down just one run, 12-11. Despite the late push, Carlin got the last two outs of the game to give Elmira the thrilling 12-11 victory.
 
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce shares her thoughts on Elmira's season-long three-game win streak…
"It has been a struggle. I think that we are pretty lucky to have won three in a row. We have a whole week of practice before week look forward to the game against Ithaca College and we have some work to do."
 
Coach Faunce on the team's offensive explosion in today's contests…
"The pitching was a little bit slower so I was expecting to score a lot of runs. What I didn't expect was that they were going to score so many runs. At the end of the day, it is always good to come away with a victory, even if it's an ugly one."
 
Coach Faunce on what the team needs to improve upon as the season moves forward…
"We really need to work on defense. The team has not been on the field too much, maybe like four or five practices in the dirt and everything else has been in the gym or in game situations. We are looking forward to getting a lot of reps in this week."
 
Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• The Pioneers outhit EC 12-to-6.
• Elmira committed two errors, while Alfred State had one.
• Clark went 2-for-3 from the plate with two RBIs.
• Katzenberger was 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
• Lundgren went 1-for-3 with a RBI.
• Vignone and Jenkins both went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
• Hill went 1-for-1 with a RBI in her lone plate appearance.   
• Carlin gave up five runs in her 3.0 innings of work.
• McDougal earned the win with her 4.0 innings of relief, allowing just one run.

 
Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• Elmira held a slim lead in hits 12-to-11.
• The Soaring Eagles finished with seven errors, while Alfred State ended the game with five.
• Johnson paced EC with a 3-for-4 performance from the plate.
• Johnson also finished with four runs and a RBI.
• Clark went 1-for-5 with three runs batted in.
• Garner was 2-for-4 with one run and a RBI.
• Storch went 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
• Jenkins was 1-for-3 with three runs scored.
• McDougal went 2-for-3 with a RBI.
• Carlin and Lundgren also posted hits for the Soaring Eagles.
• McDougal started the contest and pitched 6.2 innings and struck out six batters in the winning effort.
• Carlin pitched the final 0.2 of the game to earn the save.   

 
News and Notes

• With the sweep, Elmira improves to 7-8 overall.
• The Soaring Eagles own a 7-1 record against Alfred State in the all-time series.
• With the pair of wins today, EC extended its season-long win streak to three games.
• Elmira posted season-highs in runs (12) and hits (13) in the nightcap.
• The Soaring Eagles recorded a season-high seven errors in the second game.
• Clark's three RBIs in the nightcap are a new season high and tied a career high.
• Johnson's four runs in the second game is a new career high.  
• Storch's two RBIs in the nightcap are both a new season high and are tied for a career high.
• Vignone posted the first hit, run and RBI of her season in the second game of today's twin bill.
• Carlin's save is the first of her career.

 
Up Next
Elmira will return to Empire 8 Conference action with a road doubleheader against Ithaca College on Saturday, April 22. The E8 tilt is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Kostrinsky Field in Ithaca, New York.