Game One: Elmira College 11 – Houghton College 2
Game Two: Elmira College 6 - Houghton College 5
Records: Elmira (10-11, 4-10 E8), Houghton (11-25, 1-13 E8)
Location: Eldridge Park Stadium – Elmira, N.Y.
  
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College softball ended the home portion of its season in style, as it earned a doubleheader sweep of Empire 8 Conference foe Houghton College on Wednesday afternoon at Eldridge Park Stadium in its 2017 home finale. The Soaring Eagles won the first game by an 11-2 final score in five innings, before they took the second game in walk-off fashion by a final score of 6-5.

In the opener, EC began the bout's scoring with a five-run second inning. Hannah Lundgren '18 kicked off the push with a RBI single that skated through the right side of the Highlanders' infield that plated Rachel Katzenberger '19. Elmira added to its 1-0 advantage three batters later, as Maddy Johnson '19 took a bases-loaded walk that Lundgren scored on. Chelsea Storch '17 drove home another run in the next at-bat with a sacrifice fly to right field. Emily Carlin '17 capped off the high-scoring inning with a two-run single to center field that gave the Purple and Gold a 5-0 lead.
 
Houghton answered with unearned runs in both the third and fourth innings to cut EC's advantage to three runs, 5-2.

The Soaring Eagles answered the Highlanders' run with three runs of their own in the home half of the fourth. With one out and two women on base, Carlin hit a bomb over the left field wall that cleared the bases and gave Elmira a commanding 8-2 lead. Today's homer places Carlin into a tie for first place in program history with 13-career home runs.

EC's momentum continued into the bottom of the fifth inning, as it scored three runs to end the game in five. Sarah Garner '20 plated the first run of the inning with a pinch-hit RBI double through the middle of the infield. Johnson ended the contest with a RBI single to center field that plated Carolyn Corcoran '19 and allowed Garner to score on a throwing error by Houghton's center fielder. 

The second contest started off much slower than the opener, as the first runs of the game were not scored until the fourth inning. The Highlanders took the first lead of the tilt by scoring two runs in the top of the frame. Taylor Sile brought home the first run with a RBI single that snuck through the left side of EC's infield that plated Bailey Shattell after her lead-off triple. Sile scored the next run, as she was driven home by a Jenny Young RBI double in the next at-bat.

Elmira quickly answered in the bottom of the inning with two runs of its own to even the score at 2-all. Lundgren drove home the first run with a RBI single to right center and Hannah Vignone '19 drove home the second run with a bases-loaded hit by pitch.

The Highlanders answered with three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to retake the lead, 5-2. Shattell single-handedly fueled the inning with a two-run RBI single to right field and by scoring from third base on a wild pitch by Carlin.

The Soaring Eagles again tied the game in the following innings, as they plated two in the fifth and one in the sixth to knot the score at 5-all. In the fifth, a Samantha Jenkins '20 double over the left fielder's head plated two. In the sixth, Storch drove Harnois home from third base with a RBI groundout.

With the score tied at 5-all entering the bottom of the seventh, EC needed one run to take the E8 contest. Garner began the inning with a single to the Houghton shortstop. Corcoran then sacrificed bunted Garner to second, putting the game-winning run into scoring position. Lundgren then stepped to the plate and calmly hit the ball to right field for a single, which Kelly Parmeter bobble, allowing Garner to score the game-winning run.
 
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce shares her thoughts on Elmira's walk-off win in the second game today…
"I was really excited to pull out the second game. The team really rallied when they needed to and they were able to pull off the comeback."
 
Coach Faunce shares her thoughts on Elmira's offensive performance in the opening game of the doubleheader…
"I liked the pressure that we put on them in the first game. Overall, we had some real good hitting in the contest. I am really happy that we battled back to pull off the doubleheader sweep."
 
Coach Faunce reflects on her team's performance down the stretch of the season…
"I feel the last few games have been a real team effort. We have been tweaking our lineup and it has made a real difference."
 
 
Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• Elmira scored 11 runs on 11 hits, whereas Houghton scored two runs on seven hits.
• Seven different Soaring Eagles registered at least one hit, and nine different players scored at least one run for EC.
• Johnson was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two more driven in.
• Carlin finished with a game-high five RBIs, three of which came on a three-run homer.
• Carlin and Corcoran both were 2-for-3 at the plate.
• In addition to her standout performance at the dish, Carlin was the winning pitcher.
• She allowed two unearned runs on seven hits while throwing a complete 5.0 innings.
• Young and Barbara Richert each had two hits for Houghton.
• Kaylee Jentsch took the loss after surrendering 11 runs on 11 hits in 4.1 innings.

 
Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• Elmira outhit Houghton, 12-to-10.
• The Soaring Eagles committed only one error, while the Highlanders had three defensive miscues.
• Eight different Soaring Eagles had at least one hit.
• Johnson, Garner, Lundgren, and Jenkins each posted a team-high two hits.
• Garner was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, the latter which came following an error in the bottom of the seventh to secure the walk-off win.
• Jenkins finished 2-for-3 with a team-leading two RBIs.
• McDougal started in the pitcher's circle for Elmira allowed four runs in 4.1 innings.
• Carlin relieved McDougal and fired 2.2 one-run innings with one strikeout to earn the victory.
• Shattell went 4-for-4 from the plate with two runs and two RBIs.
• Sile pitched a complete 6.1 innings in the second contest and was given the loss.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira improved its record to 10-11 on the season and 4-10 inside Empire 8 play.
• The Purple and Gold improved to 13-2 all-time against Houghton and have swept the conference series in each of the last two seasons.
• Elmira has an 8-5 record in games at Eldridge Park in 2017, the most since winning eight home games in 2014.
• The doubleheader sweep is the third of the 2017 campaign for the Soaring Eagles.
• The 11 runs scored in the first game are one shy of EC's season high.
• The win in the late game was Elmira's second walk-off of the year.
• Carlin's homer in the first game was the 13th of her career, which moved the fourth-year utility player in a tie with Erin Pruess '12 for the most dingers in program history.
• Carlin's five RBIs in the early game mark a single-game career high for the Riverside, California, native.
• Carlin extended her career-long on-base streak to 17 consecutive games, tying the longest such streak by any Soaring Eagle over the past four seasons.
• Carlin moved into 10th-place all-time in Elmira history with 51 RBIs in her career.
• Johnson has recorded 10 multi-hit games in her sophomore season, including each of her last three outings.
• Jenkins, a freshman, picked up the first two RBIs of her collegiate career in the nightcap.

 
Up Next
The Soaring Eagles conclude the 2017 season with a road twin bill against Lycoming College tomorrow. The non-conference doubleheader is slated to begin at 3:00 p.m. in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.