Game One: Elmira College 3 – Medaille College 2 (9 innings)
Game Two: Elmira College 3 – Medaille College 2
Records: Elmira (4-5), Medaille (13-9)
Location: Eldridge Park Stadium – Elmira, N.Y.
 
ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Elmira College softball showed its resilience in this evening's non-conference twin bill against Medaille College, as the Soaring Eagles rallied in both contests to earn a pair of 3-2 victories and sweep the visiting Mavericks. With the wins, Elmira's overall record improved to 4-5 on the 2017 season.
 
Game one of today's doubleheader featured some stellar pitching and defense from both sides, as extra innings were needed to determine a winner. After two scoreless innings, Medaille loaded the bases on its first three at-bats. EC's starting pitcher, Emily Carlin '17, was able to retire the next two batters, but with two outs beaned the next batter to bring in the first run of the game.
 
Medaille's starting pitcher, Cortney Carroccia, held Elmira without a base runner through three full innings and denied EC of a hit through 4.1 innings. Carroccia's effort was good enough to keep the Soaring Eagles scoreless through six full innings, until the Purple and Gold began their rally in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Rachel Katzenberger '19 showcased her speed in the seventh by beating out an infield bunt single, before making her way to second on a ground out by Carlin. Sarah Garner '20 stepped in to pinch hit for EC with one out, but was drilled with the first pitch she saw, putting runners on first and second with Hannah Lundgren '18 approaching the plate.
 
Lundgren took the first pitch she saw and laced a hard-hit ball to left field, which scored the speedy Katzenberger from second to knot the game at 1-1. Following a pop out on the next at bat, rookie Allie Krohn '20 singled to center field, but Medaille's Sharon Trigilio gunned Garner out at the plate with an accurate throw from shallow center field to force extra innings.
 
Medaille and Elmira both scored one run apiece in the eighth inning with Carroccia and Chelsea Storch '17 driving in runs. Medaille threatened in the top of the eighth with a runner on third with one out, but EC's Carlin stymied the next two batters, getting both to pop out to end the inning.
 
The tiebreaker rules placed Emily Clark '19 on second base, but she was soon subbed out for Samantha Jenkins '20 to put more speed on the base paths. Jenkins would make her way to third on the first at bat of the inning, as Katzenberger laid down a sacrifice bunt. Then, on a 0-2 count, Elmira's Carlin blooped a single over the top of the Medaille infield to bring in Jenkins for the game-winning run.
 
Game two of today's doubleheader featured significantly more offense in the early innings, as Medaille and Elmira scratched across a pair of runs in the first inning. Trigilio began the top of the first with an infield singled, which was followed by back-to-back RBI doubles from Abby Nicometi and Morgan Bedford, giving the Mavericks a 2-0 lead.
 
Elmira answered in similar fashion in the bottom half of the inning, as Maddy Johnson '19 and Storch reached safely on a pair of singles that made their way into the Medaille outfield. Then on a 1-0 count, EC's Clark found the gap in the left centerfield for a two RBI double, scoring Johnson from second and Storch – who beat out a play at the plate – all the way from first base.
 
McDougal, who got the start in the pitcher's circle for EC in game two, settled in after a rocky start and put zeros on the scoreboard the rest of the way out. The junior hurler allowed just three additional hits over the next six innings and fanned five batters through 7.0 innings of work. Additionally, McDougal allowed just one Medaille batter to reach safely in the final four innings.
 
Not only did McDougal produce in the circle, she also helped her own cause with a RBI single on her first at bat of the day, which scored Clark from third base in the bottom of the third inning. The two-out base-knock from McDougal proved to be the difference this evening, as the Soaring Eagles swept the Mavericks with a game two final score of 3-2.
 
In Her Own Words…
Head Coach Rhonda Faunce shares her thoughts on Elmira's play this evening…
"I thought it was a nice solid performance all the way around. We scored when we had to score, which is good to see. It would have been nice to put more pressure on them offensively, but I thought both pitchers did a nice job holding them back. We made plays today."
 
Coach Faunce on Carlin's 9.0 inning performance and walk-off single…
"She's just a good ball-player all the way around. Her knowledge of the game is so good and she just wants to win. I just love that she is a competitor all the time, no matter what the score is."
 
Coach Faunce on Elmira's production on offense…
"We had a much better hitting performance today overall, which was good to see. We will need to compete and hit well against the better teams down the road, but all in all it was a good hitting performance."
 
Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• Medaille outhit Elmira 7-to-6.
• Both teams committed one error in the field.
• Storch, Katzenberger and Lundgren went 1-for-3 at the plate.
• Storch and Lundgren drove in runs for the Soaring Eagles.
• Garner and Krohn were 1-for-2 from the dish, while Carlin was 1-for-4 with a walk-off RBI single.
• Jenkins, Katzenberger and Krohn each scored one run for the Purple and Gold.
• Carlin tossed 9.0 innings in a winning effort, striking out four batters with one earned run.

 
Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• The Soaring Eagles outhit the Mavericks, 8-to-6.
• Medaille committed one error, while EC was without an error in 7.0 innings.
• Johnson and Clark were each 2-for-3 from the plate with one run scored apiece.
• Clark also logged a team-high two RBIs.
• Storch, Katzenberger, Carlin and McDougal each registered one hit each; Storch also scored one run.
• McDougal produced the deciding RBI hit in the third inning.
• McDougal picked up her second win of the year with five strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work.

 
News and Notes

• Elmira earned its first doubleheader sweep of the 2017 season.
• EC earned a win in a one-run game for the first time since April 17, 2016 (W, 6-5 vs. Nazareth).
• Elmira's six hits in game one are the fewest it has logged in a win this season.
• The Soaring Eagles did not allow a single extra-base hit in game one, a season-first for Elmira.
• Elmira picked up its first win in extra innings since defeating St. Lawrence, 1-0, in 2014.
• Johnson registered her fifth multi-hit game of the season.
• Clark tied her season high for RBIs with two in game two.
• Clark also logged her third multi-game of 2017.
• Carlin's 9.0 innings are the most she has pitched in her career.
• Carlin's four strikeouts were a season high.

 
Up Next
Elmira will look to ride today's momentum into this Friday's Empire 8 Conference clash with the Highlanders of Houghton College. The Soaring Eagles will open the two-game series with the Highlanders at Eldridge Park Stadium on April 7 at 3:00 p.m.