ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Heavy rainfall in the Southern Tier has forced a handful of changes to the Elmira College softball schedule, as Friday's originally scheduled doubleheader against Houghton College, as well as Sunday's road contests against Hilbert College, has been postponed due to unplayable field conditions. The bout with Houghton has been moved to April 26, while a makeup date for the Hilbert games are still to be determined. Saturday's originally schedule twin bill with Alfred University has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 9, at 1:00 p.m. at Eldridge Park Stadium.
 
LAST TIME OUT: After suffering back-to-back series losses to No. 5 St. John Fisher College and Nazareth College, the Elmira women have bounced back with three wins in their last four games, including a doubleheader sweep of Medaille College last time out. The Soaring Eagles edged the Mavericks in both games by identical 3-2 scores. Emily Carlin '17 had a phenomenal performance for the Purple and Gold in the opening game of the doubleheader, as the senior tossed 9.0 innings and fanned five batters in a winning effort. Not only did Carlin get the win in the pitcher's circle, she also came up clutch for EC in the batter's box with a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning. Emily Clark '19 provided the offense in game two of the twin bill, as the powerful first baseman went 2-for-3 from the plate with a pair RBIs, both of which came on a first-inning double that scored Maddy Johnson '19 and Chelsea Storch '17. Clark's two-run double erased a 2-0 deficit, and set the stage for Katie McDougal '18 to drive in the eventual winning run on a single to center field that brought in Clark. McDougal was also credited with the win, as the junior righty logged 7.0 innings and four strikeouts.
 
TOUGH PITCHING, SOLID DEFENSE: In Elmira's extra-inning win against the Mavericks, the Soaring Eagles held Medaille without an extra-base hit. It marked the first time this season the Purple and Gold have held an opposing team without an extra-base hit. Elmira accomplished this feat twice last year, once in an 8-0 victory against Alfred State on April 20, and again a day later in a 4-0 win over Morrisville State.
 
SCOUTING ALFRED: The Saxons head into the weekend with a 10-6 overall record and a 2-0 mark in the league play. Twelve of Alfred's games this season took place during its spring break trip to Clermont, Florida, and the other four have been on AU's home turf at Harrington Field. Alfred has won three straight and five of its last seven, including a doubleheader sweep last time out against Utica College (14-6, 6-2). The Saxon offense is led by 2015 NFCA Second Team All-American and Empire 8 Player of the Year, Liz Thompson, who is batting a cool .400 on the year with team highs in hits (20), runs (22), RBIs (19), doubles (5), and home runs (6). The local product of Horseheads High School also leads the E8 in runs and home runs, while her 0.38 home runs per-game average is fifth in the country. Alfred's pitching has also been superb this season, as four pitchers have logged 13.0 or more innings with an ERA of 2.14 or less. Shannon Schaefer paces the pack with a 1.42 ERA and a 4-1 record.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Elmira and Alfred have a rich history, having faced each other 47 times in their respective histories. The Saxons own a slight edge in the all-time series, 25-21-1, and enter Sunday's bout with a four-game winning streak against the Soaring Eagles. Elmira's last win in the series dates back to the 2014 season, when the Purple and Gold topped Alfred in the second leg of a doubleheader, 7-1.
 
LOOKING AHEAD: Elmira returns to action next Saturday, April 15, when the Soaring Eagles host the Pioneers of Utica College in a two-game series. The opening pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Eldridge Park Stadium.