ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team continues its non-conference schedule this Saturday, April 29, with a trip to Buffalo, New York, as the Soaring Eagles take on Medaille College. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.
 
LAST TIME OUT: Elmira welcomed Alfred State College to historic Dunn Field for a non-league nine-inning contest to wrap up a two-game series with the Pioneers. Game one on April 18 saw the two teams combine for 35 runs in a six-run victory for the Soaring Eagles. However, game two could not have been any different, as the two squads combined for six runs on eight hits, resulting in a 4-2 win for the Elmira men. Scott Logue '20 set the tone from the opening pitch for the Purple and Gold, as the rookie hurler struck out four batters in 5.0 innings of one-run ball. Matt van Muelken '18 had a solid outing as Elmira's lone multi-hit performer (3-for-4) with one RBI and one run scored. Second-year reliever Nick Cottone '19 picked up the save, his first of the season, by throwing 2.0 scoreless innings with one strikeout.
 
RECORD-SETTING PERFORMANCE: Elmira's pitching staff did a much better job this time around against the Pioneers, limiting the visitors to just one hit and two runs. The collective group performance by EC's pitchers that afternoon – Logue, Cottone and Blake Phelps '19 – set a new program record for fewest hits allowed in a single game. The previous single-game record stood at three hits, a mark Elmira has reached on three different occasions since the program's inception in 2015.  
 
TWO-RUN GAMES: The Soaring Eagles have shown that they have the ability to win close games this season. Elmira boasts an 8-3 record in contests decided by two runs or less, with the most recent victory coming against Alfred State, 4-2. EC is 3-1 in its last four games that have been decided by two runs or fewer, including a pair of victories over league rival SUNY Canton.
 
SCOUTING MEDAILLE: The Mavericks own a 12-23 overall record this season, but are playing better ball as of late with three wins in their last four games. Medaille enters Saturday's doubleheader after sweeping a two-game series against Hilbert College by scores of 14-3 and 19-3, the team's seventh and eighth road wins of the year. Medaille sports the third-best batting average in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference (AMCC) and has six players with averages of .300 or better. Daniel Luppens leads the team with a .386 batting average, while Kris Kruszka is Medaille's leader in slugging percentage (.555) thanks to 12 doubles and three homers. Luppens also has 12 two-baggers on the year, as well as three triples and a team-leading 33 RBIs. Defensively, the Mavericks own a team ERA of 5.64, led by Ryan Wojcinski's 2.28 ERA, a mark that ranks fourth among AMCC qualifiers. He is 6-2 on the year with two complete games and 45 strikeouts.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Elmira and Medaille have met twice each season since EC's inception of the baseball program back in 2015. Neither team has been able to earn the series sweep, as the two squads have split both non-league series in 2015 and 2016. This year's matchup will be the first time the two teams will face each other in Buffalo, New York, as the previous four games took place at historic Dunn Field. Last year's series saw Elmira take game one by a 14-2 final score, before the Mavericks claimed the nightcap, 11-4.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira is back in action next Wednesday, May 3, when the Soaring Eagles host the Wildcats of the Pennsylvania College of Technology. The opening pitch at Dunn Field is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.