ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Coming off a series win against Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, the Elmira College baseball team heads to Alfred State to take on the Pioneers in a non-conference game on Tuesday, April 18. The first pitch has been moved back an hour from its originally scheduled time to 4:00 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles capped of their three-game series with the Ducks with a come-from-behind 7-5 victory on Saturday, April 15. EC took the initial lead in the top of the first inning thanks back-to-back doubles from Dylan Bellinger '17 and Nate Hanner '18. In the second inning, Justin Iannotto '20 made it a 3-1 game in favor of Elmira by slugging a two-out solo homer on the first pitch he saw. The Ducks responded with one run in the second, two in the third, and another in the fourth to pull ahead, 5-3. However, Andy Reed '19 was called from the bullpen in the fourth and shut the Stevens offense down for the remainder of the contest. Reed hurled 6.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits. With the southpaw dealing, Bellinger belted a two-run jack in the fifth to regain the lead, 6-5. Iannotto tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the sixth inning, and Reed set down the Ducks 1-2-3 in the seventh, eighth, and ninth to close the victory.

BACK, BACK, BACK!: Iannotto has seen limited action in his freshman campaign, but the rookie catcher has come up big when called upon. He homered in his collegiate debut against Hilbert College on April 4, and with his dinger against the Ducks on Saturday, he's hit home runs in both of his starts. Of Iannotto's three hits so far this season, two have left the yard, resulting in a sky-high .900 slugging percentage. The South Setauket, New York, native is the only player in Elmira's brief history to hit multiple homers as a freshman and will look to add to his total down the stretch.

EARLY LEADS: In both victories against Stevens over the weekend, the Soaring Eagles plated the first run of the game, which has proven to be a major key to EC's success so far in 2017. Elmira boasts a 7-1 record when scoring the game's first run, but on the other hand the Soaring Eagles are just 2-9 when the opposition is the first to light up the scoreboard. Maintaining those early advantages has also been a strength of this year's squad, as the Purple and Gold have only lost once when leading after the seventh and eighth innings.

SERIES HISTORY: Elmira has engaged Alfred State in a non-conference home-and-home series in each of its first two varsity seasons, but has not been able to defeat the Pioneers in four tries. All four games have been tightly contested, as none have been decided by more than two runs. In 2016, the Soaring Eagles fell to the Pioneers, 5-4, at historic Dunn Field and wound up on the losing end of an 8-7 extra-inning affair in Alfred, New York.

SCOUTING ALFRED STATE: Head Coach Mike Armstrong has had a tough go of it in his first season at the helm of the Pioneers, who enter Tuesday's non-conference tilt against Elmira with a mere 4-25 overall record. Alfred State last tasted victory in a doubleheader split with Keuka College on April 9. After being beaten 22-1 in the opening game, the Pioneers rebounded to win the nightcap against the Wolves by a 7-1 final score. Pitching has been a struggle for them all season, as the team owns an 8.05 ERA and has issued more walks (161) than strikeouts (144). Senior Brady Sass has recorded team highs with eight starts and 45.0 innings on the mound, but is 0-7 with a 5.20 ERA and 33 walks compared to only 25 strikeouts. Alfred State's biggest threat at the plate is the powerful senior Cullen Franz. Franz's slash line leads the team's regulars, as he's batting .391 with a .505 on-base percentage and an .816 slugging percentage. He also leads the team with 34 hits, 29 runs scored, 18 RBIs, and eight home runs. Franz has clubbed a homer in three of his last six games, including one in the victory against Keuka.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Soaring Eagles return to action inside the Empire 8 on Wednesday, April 19, when EC opens its conference series against the No. 18-ranked Cardinals of St. John Fisher College. The series opener at historic Dunn Field is scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m.