ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College baseball heads to Rochester, New York, looking to upset the No. 15-ranked Cardinals of St. John Fisher College in an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader this afternoon. The twin bill between the feathered foes is set to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Fisher's Dugan Yard.

LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles and Cardinals opened their three-game conference series on Sunday, April 23, at historic Dunn Field. It was the second half of a non-traditional doubleheader for EC, which defeated SUNY Canton 6-4 in its first contest. Elmira, however, was unable to sweep both Sunday bouts, as the Purple and Gold were defeated by the Cards, who were then ranked No. 18 by NCBWA/D3baseball.com. Following the exit of EC starter Blake Phelps '19, who limited the Fisher bats to four runs in 5.0 innings, the visitors broke a 4-4 tie with a six-spot in the top of the sixth. Although Joe Marigliano '17 retired the first two batters to start the frame, Elmira needed to use four different relief pitchers to get out of the inning while the visitors pulled ahead 10-4. The Soaring Eagles looked to rally in the ninth, scoring five runs on five hits and a pair of Fisher errors. Jansen Crossley '20 had a day in the losing effort, going 2-for-4 with a double and a season-high-tying four RBIs. Dennis Rudolph '18 finished 2-for-3 at the plate with both hits going down as two-baggers.

MORE WEEKLY HONORS FOR BAWIEC: For the second time this season, Elmira's Bawiec was recognized by the Empire 8 as the Pitcher of the Week. In the series opener against SUNY Canton on Saturday, April 22, the standout utility player from Lebanon, Pennsylvania, hurled his third complete game victory of the season, as the Soaring Eagles downed the Roos, 2-1. Bawiec scattered five singles across 7.0 innings of work and surrendered just one unearned run. He fanned seven without issuing a walk, bringing his season strikeout total to 46, fourth-most in the conference. In six starts on the mound during his junior campaign, Bawiec is 4-1 with 3.51 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY: A regional power in the state of New York, St. John Fisher has controlled the series against the Soaring Eagles in the program's brief history. Including the win on Sunday, the Cardinals have won seven of the eight all-time meetings against Elmira. EC's lone win was on April 19, 2015, when Bawiec twirled a complete-game three-hitter to lead the Purple and Gold to a 1-0 shutout victory at Dugan Yard.

SCOUTING FISHER:  After winning all five of their games a week ago, the Cardinals climbed three spots to No. 15 in the NCBWA/D3baseball.com Top 25 poll. Among those five wins was a sweep of Houghton College, which allowed Fisher to improve to 10-0 inside Empire 8 play (23-6 overall). At Dugan Yard this season, Fisher boasts a 9-1 record, with its lone loss coming at the hands of crosstown rival RIT by a 9-6 score on March 30. A glance at the lineup shows that the team has relied heavily upon and has received tremendous contributions from a handful of freshmen. Rookie starter Anthony Brophy has won seven of his eight starts, and in 50.0 innings of work has accumulated a minute 1.44 ERA. Second baseman Justin Graham paces the offense with a .393 batting average, thanks in part to an outstanding performance last week. In his last four games, Graham is hitting .667 (12-for-18) with 11 runs and two RBIs. Thomas Pasquale is also coming into his own at the plate, as he increased his average to .356 with three-hit games against both Houghton and Elmira over the weekend.

LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira will complete its home-and-home series with the Pioneers of Alfred State on Thursday, April 27, at historic Dunn Field. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.