ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College baseball will look to complete its home-and-home series sweep of Alfred State on Thursday, April 27, when the Soaring Eagles host the Pioneers in a non-conference contest at historic Dunn Field. First pitch is slated for 4:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The Soaring Eagles had a tough go of it in an Empire 8 twin bill against nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College. The No. 15 Cardinals swept both ends of the doubleheader by scores of 9-3 and 16-0. At the plate, Conor Bawiec '18 paced the Soaring Eagles by hitting a combined .571 with four hits in seven at-bats. Dylan Bellinger '17 finished the afternoon with a trio of hits in six at-bats, equaling a .500 batting average. Nate Hanner '18 slugged EC's only extra-base hit on Wednesday with a double in the early game, and combined with his four walks, reached base at a .714 clip.
 
DENNIS THE MENACE: Outfielder Dennis Rudolph '18 was able to lift his batting average back above .300 with a pair of multi-hit games in the series against the nationally-ranked Cardinals. He finished 2-for-4 in the nightcap of yesterday's contest and opened the series on April 23 with a 2-for-3 showing. Rudolph has produced multiple hits in four of his last six games, batting .474 (9-for-19) with four doubles and two runs driven in during that stretch. The Glen Ellyn, Illinois, native is one of only three Soaring Eagles to start all 26 games so far in 2017 and he ranks third on the team in batting average (.303), hits (27) and RBIs (14).

SCOUTING ALFRED STATE: The Pioneers head into today's contest with a 7-28 overall record and are riding high on a three-game winning streak with wins over Hilbert, Pitt-Bradford and Penn State DuBois. Prior to the three-game stretch of wins, Alfred State had suffered through a six-game losing streak, which includes a 21-14 loss to Elmira on April 18. Cullen Franz is having a breakout year at the plate with team highs in batting average (.402), slugging percentage (.813), on-base percentage (.518), runs scored (39), RBIs (23), extra-base hits (22), walks (19), doubles (9), home runs (9), triples (4), and steals (11). Franz, a 6-foot-3-inch senior, has had 13 multi-hit games this year, including a 2-for-4 showing in the game against EC. Second-year right-handed pitcher Garrett Mack has been the team's most consistent arm with a team-leading 3.41 ERA in 37.0 innings pitched. Fellow sophomore Lucas Cornell is not far behind with a 4.24 ERA and holds the team lead in strikeouts with 32.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Earlier this season, the Purple and Gold earned their first-ever victory over Alfred State in impressive fashion, as EC belted 17 hits and scored a season-high 21 runs in a 21-14 triumph in Alfred, New York. The Pioneers, however, hold a 4-1 lead in the all-time series, having swept Elmira in both 2015 and 2016.
 
UP NEXT: The Soaring Eagles will travel to Buffalo, New York, to take on the Mavericks of Medaille College in a non-conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 29. First pitch for the opening game at McCarthy Park is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.