Game One: Elmira College 8 – SUNY Canton 5
Game Two: SUNY Canton 5 – Elmira College 2 (8 inn.)
Records: Elmira (2-5), SUNY Canton (4-3)
Location: Eldridge Park Stadium – Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After a month of rescheduled games and postponements, the Elmira College softball team was finally able to squeeze in a non-conference doubleheader with SUNY Canton this afternoon at Eldridge Park Stadium. The Soaring Eagles capitalized on a three-run fifth inning to rally past the Kangaroos of Canton in game one, 8-5, before falling in extra innings in the nightcap, 5-2.
 
Elmira's bats rang loudly in the first inning of game one, as the Soaring Eagles scratched across three runs in the opening frame. After leading off the inning with a walk, Maddy Johnson '19 came around to score two batters later on an RBI groundout by starting pitcher Emily Carlin '17. Emily Clark '19 drew a walk on the next at-bat, and following an infield single by Rachel Katzenberger '19, Carolyn Corcoran '19 laced a two-out double to center field to score both runners and give EC a 3-0 lead.
 
Canton's Brittany Miner scored on a throwing error in the top of the second inning to cut the Elmira lead to two, but another RBI groundout – this one coming from Chelsea Storch '17 – scored Sarah Garner '20 to push the Purple and Gold's lead back to three runs, 4-1.
 
The Roos chipped away at the Elmira lead over the next two innings, scoring once in the top of the third and three in the fourth on a bases-clearing double by Courtney Hyland, giving Canton its first lead of the game at 5-4. After a scoreless bottom half of the inning and a scoreless top half in the fifth, Elmira's offense found its rhythm at the dish and pushed across three runs to go up 7-5.
 
EC's three-run fifth inning began with back-to-back doubles by Storch and Carlin, with Storch scoring from second on the Carlin bomb to left-center field. Clark stepped up to the dish next and laced a triple to center field, scoring Carlin from second to reclaim the lead at 6-5. Elmira's hot bats continued with a Katzenberger bloop-single on the next plate appearance, which brought in Clark to give the Soaring Eagles a two-run lead.
 
Canton threatened to reclaim the lead in the sixth inning, as a pair two-out singles and a wild pitch forced a pitching change for the Soaring Eagles. Katie McDougal '18 entered the game with two on and two out, but beaned the next batter to load the bases for Desiree Pryce. However, McDougal got Pryce to go down swinging, the first of her three strikeouts, to neutralize the scoring threat.
 
Elmira held onto its 7-5 lead until the Soaring Eagles added to it in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by Clark – her second of the afternoon – that scored Johnson from third. The run scored by Johnson was her third of the game, which gave EC an 8-5 win.
 
Carlin picked up the win in the pitcher's circle by striking out three batters in 5.2 innings of five-run ball, two of which were earned. McDougal earned the save with three strikeouts in 1.1 innings of work.
 
EC could have afforded to save some of its runs from game one for the second game of today's twin bill, as the Soaring Eagles fell to the Roos in eight innings, 5-2. Canton jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a one-out two RBI single by Stefanie Miller.
 
Elmira cut the lead to one in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of hits by EC's first two batters, McDougal and Katzenberger. McDougal led the inning off with a deep double to right center, before Katzenberger laced a hot shot through the right side of Canton's infield to score her teammate and bring the score to 2-1. This was all the offense EC was able to muster, as a controversial batter's interference call on Johnson late in the inning, along with a foul fly out by Carlin, ended the Soaring Eagle rally.
 
Storch tied the game up in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out single that scored Hannah Lundgren '18 – who began the inning with a walk – from third base to knot the game at 2-2. The rally seemed to derail Canton's focus, as the Roos went down in the order in the top of the seventh, giving the Purple and Gold a chance to secure a doubleheader sweep in the bottom half.
 
Clark began the seventh inning with a single the left center and was substituted shortly after for more speed on the base paths, as Olivia Harnois took over base-running duties. A sacrifice bunt and a fly out later put the winning run, Harnois, on third with quite possibly the day's most clutch hitter at the plate, Katzenberger. Despite making good contact, Katzenberger's at-bat ended in a fly out, resulting in extra innings at Eldridge.
 
The missed opportunity proved to be costly, as Canton scratched across three runs in the top of the eighth to take a commanding 5-2 lead. EC responded nicely in the bottom half by loading the bases with just one out on the scoreboard. However, a rocket off the bat of Storch with the bases juiced went right into the glove of Canton's starting pitcher, Kelsey White, who tossed the ball over to third after making the catch to complete the double play and provide the Roos with their fourth win of the season.
 
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce on Elmira's ability to start strong in the opening game despite a tough weekend on the road…
"There's something about playing at home, and it was a nice day so that helped everybody's mood. The mentality coming in was that we could win and I think we're going to have that all week long."
 
Coach Faunce on Carlin and McDougal's pitching performances…
"I am happy with our pitching effort. If you look at the scoreboard, it doesn't do justice to what they've both done. They're a nice combination because one throws a little bit harder than the other. Carl's got great spin, and – this is the third day in a row that she's pitched – when they started to catch up to her, McDougal came in and shut them down. I think it was a great team effort in the first game."
 
Coach Faunce on the near comeback in extra innings in the nightcap…
"I think we had great momentum to finally get the run back and tie it, and I thought we might get it right then (in the seventh inning). It's the first time playing the tiebreaker rules this year, so that adds some stress, but regardless we should have got it done."
 
Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• Clark was a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs, two runs scored, and one walk.
• Katzenberger went 2-for-3 from the dish with one RBI and one run scored.
• Johnson, Storch, Carlin, Corcoran, Garner, and Cassie Hill '20 all finished with one hit.
• Carlin and Corcoran each logged two RBIs.
• Johnson also scored two runs, while Storch, Carlin, and Garner each crossed home plate once.
• Johnson also led the way with two bases on balls.
• Carlin logged 5.2 innings in the pitcher's circle, striking out three and walking three.
• Two of Carlin's runs allowed were earned.
• McDougal came in for relief duty and logged 1.1 innings of shutout ball with three strikeouts en route to her first save of the season.

 
Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• Storch, Clark, McDougal and Katzenberger all logged multi-hit games for Elmira.
• Storch and Katzenberger were the only two to finish with a RBI.
• McDougal and Lundgren each scored one run for the Soaring Eagles.
• Lundgren also drew a team-high two walks.
• McDougal got the loss, after going a full 8.0 innings with eight strikeouts.
• McDougal allowed five runs, three of which were earned.
• Elmira left 13 runners on base.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira's 10 hits in game one was the second time this season EC logged double-digit hits.
• EC's eight runs scored and eight RBIs in game one were a season high.
• The four extra-base hits in game one was a season high for Elmira, as were its three doubles.
• The six walks Elmira drew in game two were a season high.
• EC did not strike out once in either game.
• McDougal struck out a career-high eight batters in game two.
• Clark registered the first triple of the season for the Soaring Eagles.

 
Up Next
Elmira returns to action on Wednesday, April 5, when the Soaring Eagles host Medaille College in a 3:00 p.m. non-league doubleheader at Eldridge Park Stadium.