Score: Penn State Behrend 13, Elmira College 8
Score: Penn State Behrend 7, Elmira 3
Records: Penn State Behrend (23-17), Elmira (16-17)
Location: Dunn Field -- Elmira, New York

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team dropped a pair of non-conference contests to the visiting Lions of Penn State Behrend in its 2017 home and regular-season finale at historic Dunn Field on Tuesday. The Lions earned the sweep with a 13-8 victory in the early game and a 7-3 win in the nightcap.
 
In between the two games, the Purple and Gold honored the three seniors – Dylan Bellinger '17, Hayden Rothenberg '17, and Joe Marigliano '17 – as part of Class of 2017 Recognition Day. In the last home games of their respective careers, Marigliano tossed an inning of relief, while Rothenberg combined for two hits and two RBIs, and Bellinger batted 3-for-7 with a home run, two runs scored, and two RBIs.
 
In both bouts, late runs helped the Lions pad their lead and extinguish any comeback attempts by the Soaring Eagles.
 
In the matinee, PSB posted crooked numbers on the scoreboard in both the third and fourth innings, belting out seven runs on seven hits to take a 7-0 lead. The Lions carried that advantage into the fifth inning, where EC scored six runs of its own to spoil the shutout and come within one run. Nate Hanner '18 began the rally by stroking a one-out double into left field, which plated Dennis Rudolph '18 from first. Following a pair of costly errors by Lions third baseman Kyle Lewis, Rothenberg picked up an RBI on a ground out to reduce the deficit to four runs, 7-3. After Conor Bawiec '18 reached on catcher's interference, Bellinger welcomed relief pitcher Brady Kress to the game by slugging an RBI double, and Tommy Fogarty '20 followed with a two-run base hit through the right side to make it a 7-6 game.
 
Just when the momentum had shifted in Elmira's favor, the Lions touched pitcher Corey DeMauro '20, who threw a spotless fifth inning after entering out of the bullpen, for five runs in the top of the sixth. That widened the gap back to six runs, 12-6, in favor of Penn State Behrend. Although the Soaring Eagles tallied runs in the home half of the sixth and seventh innings, it proved to be too little too late.
 
Elmira drew first blood in the late game, as senior first baseman Bellinger blasted a solo home run over the 20-foot-high fence in straightaway center field in the first. The long ball was his sixth of the season, breaking his own single-season program record.
 
After giving up runs a pair of runs over the next two innings, the Soaring Eagles drew the score even at 2-all in the bottom of the third. Bawiec was issued a one-out walk, reached third on a Bellinger base hit, and scored on a sacrifice fly hit by Fogarty.
 
The Lions climbed back into the lead by plating single runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, PSB standout second baseman Scott Sada registered one of his three hits and four RBIs in the game to drive in the go-ahead run, but EC catcher Eddie O'Donnell IV '18 did a tremendous job to limit the damage to just one run in the frame. During the following at-bat, he flashed a howitzer of an arm from behind the plate by gunning out two runners trying to steal third.
 
Down 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth, Cameron Heggie '18 and O'Donnell produced back-to-back one-out singles, as the Soaring Eagles looked to piece together another late-inning rally. Rothenberg lofted a soft liner into the right-center gap to plate one run, but with two outs and two runners on, Bawiec popped out to end the threat.
 
Although EC was able to come within one run of the lead for the second time, the Lions all but sealed the sweep on a three-run shot off the bat of Sada, which extended their lead back to four runs at 7-3 in the top of the seventh.
 
Inside the Box Score (Game One)

• Behrend outhit Elmira 16-to-10.
• The Lions committed four errors, while EC had just one.
• Bawiec went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
• Fogarty was 2-for-4 at the dish with a pair of RBIs.
• Hanner was 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
• Bellinger went 1-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored.
• Jansen Crossley '20, Rudolph and Will Jenkins '18 rounded out EC's offense with one hit apiece.
• Rudolph logged an RBI and a run scored, while Jenkins scored once.
• Joey Florio '20 and Bryce Plante '18 also scored runs for the Soaring Eagles.
• Scott Logue '20 got the start on the hill for Elmira and tossed 3.0 innings of three-run ball with two unearned runs.

 
Inside the Box Score (Game Two)

• EC scored three runs on 10 hits in the contest.
• The Lions posted seven runs on eight hits.
• Elmira committed three errors in the game.
• Bellinger went 2-for-3 at the plate with a solo homer.
• Both Rothenberg and van Muelken finished 2-for-4.
• Fogarty was 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
• Rudolph, Heggie and O'Donnell all recorded base hits in the contest.
• Zach Williamson '20 struck out three and allowed two unearned runs in 3.0 innings of work in his first career start.
• Garinder Singh Sarana '20 was tagged with the loss after allowing one run and striking out two in 2.0 innings of relief.
• Sada led PSB by going 3-for-4 with a three-run dinger and a double.
• Zachary Krivda earned the victory after allowing just two runs in 5.0 innings pitched.

 
News and Notes

• The Soaring Eagles conclude the regular season with a 16-17 overall record, tied for the most wins in a season in program history.
• Elmira finishes the year with a 7-8 record at historic Dunn Field.
• Penn State Behrend is now 2-0 against EC after taking the first two all-time meetings between the two programs.
• Bellinger's homer in the nightcap was the sixth of his season and the 13th of his career, both program records.
• Sarana's 2.0 innings pitched in the second game the longest appearance of his rookie season.
• Williamson tied his season high with three strikeouts in his first collegiate start.
• Bawiec has reached base safely in 26 straight games.
• Bellinger extended his on-base streak to 11 consecutive games.
• Fogarty has produced at least one hit in six consecutive games, one shy of his longest hit streak of the season.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles return to action this Thursday, May 11, as the Elmira men travel to Rochester, New York, to compete in the 2017 Empire 8 Conference Championships. Elmira, which is seeded third in this year's championships, opens the tournament with a 2:30 p.m. matchup with the second-seeded Bombers of the Ithaca College.