Score: Pennsylvania College of Technology 14, Elmira College 10
Records: Penn College (18-11), Elmira (7-27)
Location: Dunn Field -- Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- After trailing by as many as 13 runs against Pennsylvania College of Technology on Wednesday night, the Elmira College baseball team nearly completed a miraculous comeback, but fell a few feet short in a 14-12 loss at historic Dunn Field.

Down 13-0 after seven innings of play, the Soaring Eagles scored all 12 of their runs in the eighth and ninth in an improbable rally. Down by two runs with two outs, it looked as though Tommy Fogarty '20 tied the game for the first time with one swing of the bat, but his high fly ball was caught on the warning track by the Penn College right fielder.

The Wildcats, who pitched by committee in the non-conference game, sent nine pitchers to the mound altogether. The first six combined to scatter six hits and two walks across 7.0 innings of work, but relievers Hunter Thomas and Andrew Gilbert ran into trouble in the late innings. Thomas was lifted after recording just one out in the eighth, and although Gilbert lasted 1.1 innings, he had to be replaced after surrendering five more runs.

EC sent 12 batters to the plate in the eighth and scored seven runs on four hits, four walks, and two Penn College errors. Back-to-back walks to Fogarty and Jack Volpe '20 loaded the bases, and the next four batters each picked up an RBI with three singles and a sacrifice fly. Dennis Rudolph '18 laced a bases-loaded hit back up the box to drive in Conor Bawiec '18, who earned his second RBI of the frame with a grounder to first base that made it a 13-7 score in favor of the Wildcats. Amidst of the rally, junior catcher Jack Donnelly '19 posted his first career hit and run batted in after winning an eight-pitch battle, which helped bring the bench to life.

The Wildcats did score an important insurance run in the top of the ninth against Elmira reliever Garinder Singh Sarana '20. Alex Zelger walked, stole second, and came home on consecutive wild pitches – all with two outs, yet the 14-7 advantage nearly proved not to be enough.

Dennis Rudolph '18 jumpstarted the Elmira lineup in the ninth with a one-out triple, the first of three straight hits for the Soaring Eagles. Cameron Heggie followed with an RBI single, and Mark Ryan '21 put runners on the corners with a base hit to the left-center gap. After Heggie trimmed the Penn College lead down to 14-9 by scoring on a wild pitch, Donnelly was called out on a crucial play for the second out of the inning. After hitting a short chopper to the left of the plate, it was initially ruled that Donnelly beat the throw to first base, but after a brief meeting, the umpires overturned the call. 

Despite the ruling, Matt van Muelken '18 brought new life to the dugout with a rocket to the wall in the left-center gap. His run-scoring double was followed by an RBI base hit from Bryce Plante '18 and another ringing double, this time from Bawiec, which cut the lead down to two runs, 14-12. Penn College reliever Max Conrad was able to save the game, however, by inducing Fogarty's fly out to deep right.

Rudolph led all players with four hits in the contest, while Ryan, Plante, and Bawiec reach finished with two hits for the Purple and Gold. Senior righty Joe Kidd '18, who surrendered just one earned run in four-plus innings, was tagged with the loss.

News and Notes

• For the eighth time this season, the Soaring Eagles scored double-digit runs.
• Elmira tied a season-high with 16 hits against the Wildcats.
• Wednesday's loss is only the seventh of the year at Dunn Field.
• Rudolph has recorded at least one hit in eight consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team.
• Bawiec is riding a five-game hit streak with multiple hits in four straight bouts.
• Nick Sampogna '18 has a hit in five consecutive games and has doubled in four of the last five outings.
• Donnelly posted his first career hit, run, and RBI on Wednesday night.
• In the second appearance of his rookie campaign, Mason Weir '21 threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Up Next
Elmira's series finale against Ithaca College has been bumped up to Thursday, May 3, at Ithaca's Freeman Field. First pitch for the Empire 8 Conference matchup is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.