Score: Ithaca College 9, Elmira College 3
Records: Ithaca (10-9, 3-4 E8), Elmira (2-17, 2-8 E8)
Location: Freeman Field – Ithaca, N.Y.
 
ITHACA, N.Y. -- After falling behind by four runs in the second inning, the Elmira College baseball team pulled within two runs midway through the game, but the Soaring Eagles would eventually fall to Ithaca College, 9-3.
 
A trio of Soaring Eagles produced multi-hit games, led by Bryce Plante '18 who went 3-for-4 at the dish with one run scored. Dennis Rudolph '18 and Tommy Fogarty' 20 were 2-for-4 with one run scored apiece. Fogarty also drove in one run. Jansen Crossley '20 rounded out the Elmira offense with a 1-for-1 showing at the plate in an appearance as a pinch-hitter.
 
Nick Sampogna '18 got the starting nod on the pitcher's mound this afternoon for Elmira and tossed five full innings of four-run ball while striking out five batters. Corey DeMauro '20, Nick Cottone '19 and Garinder Singh Sarana '20 all made relief appearances for the Soaring Eagles. Singh Sarana struck out three batters, while Cottone fanned two.
 
Ithaca jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of today's contest, starting with a one-out single by Garrett Snyder that drove in a pair of runs. Jake Generali drove in another run with a one-out single to make it 3-0, before a groundout by Webb Little brought in Ithaca's fourth run of the inning.
 
Elmira worked a bit of two-out magic in the top of the fourth inning to score a pair of runs and trim the Ithaca lead to 4-2. The EC rally began with an infield single by Rudolph, who then swiped second base shortly after. Then on a full count, Fogarty found the gap in left-center field to score Rudolph from second.
 
Plante extended the fourth inning with a single to left field, putting runners on first and second. Following a wild pitch that put Fogarty on third and Plante on second, another wild pitch on a ball-four walk to Jack Thistle '18 allowed Fogarty to score from third and cut the Bombers' lead to two.
 
Elmira stayed within striking distance of Ithaca until the bottom of the sixth, when the Bombers exploded for another four runs to take a decisive 8-2 lead. Miscues by the Soaring Eagles paved the way for the four-run inning, as a trio of wild pitches and a dropped fly ball opened the gates for the Ithaca offense to pad its lead.
 
EC looked to chip away at the Ithaca lead in the top of the seventh inning, as Plante and Crossley produced back-to-back singles to start the inning. With runners on first and second, head coach Corey Paluga opted for a double-steal. The aggressiveness on the base paths created havoc for the Ithaca defense, as a throwing error by Ithaca's catcher allowed Plante to cross home plate and bring the score to 8-3. Unfortunately, this was the only run Elmira was able to produce in the inning.
 
Ithaca responded in the bottom half of the seventh inning with a run of its own, which all but sealed a 9-3 victory for the Bombers.
 
News and Notes

• The six hits allowed by the Elmira pitching staff is a season-best.
• Plante's three hits tied his season-high output.
• It was also Plante's fifth multi-hit game of the season.
• Rudolph extended his hitting streak to 14 consecutive games and has reached safely in 15 straight contests.
• Fogarty is riding an eight-game hit streak and has five multi-hit performances during that span.
• Sampogna's five strikeouts are a season-best for the senior hurler.

 
Up Next
Elmira will return to Freeman Field tomorrow afternoon to face the Bombers of Ithaca in E8 action. The opening pitch is set for 1:00 p.m.