Score: University of Rochester 10, Elmira College 5
Records: Elmira (2-5), Rochester (2-5)
Location: Towers Field -- Rochester, N.Y.

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team opened a three-game non-conference series against the University of Rochester with a 10-5 loss on Thursday afternoon at Towers Field in Rochester, New York.

Early errors by the Soaring Eagle defense gave the Yellowjackets enough momentum to grab the lead in the second inning, and the hosts never looked back despite some late life from the EC bats. After Mason Ryan '22 drove in fellow freshman James Delaney '22 with a run-scoring single in the top half of the second inning, the wheels temporarily fell off the Elmira defense, as the Purple and Gold committed three of their four errors in the bottom of the frame.

With two runners on and the score tied at 1-1, Angus Adams '22 fielded an attempted sacrifice bunt, but a poor throw allowed the Yellowjackets to load the bases. Following an RBI fielder's choice and a heads-up play to gun a runner down at the plate on another infield ground ball, Rochester scored again on a failed pickoff attempt. The inning was extended by a poor throw from short by Ryan from short that allowed U of R's Jake Hertz to reach base safely. Hertz and Brian McKinsey then executed a well-timed double-steal to increase Rochester's lead to 4-1.

The Yellowjackets were able to load the bases again in the third and tack on two more runs on a single that stayed fair down the left-field line off the bat of Harper Sy. A two-run bottom of the fifth gave Rochester a comfortable lead at 8-1, and it would need the extra breathing room, as the Soaring Eagles came back to score four times in the last four innings of the contest.

EC got two runs back in the top of the sixth. Harrison Zambarano '19 slugged a lead-off home run, and Jack Thomas '22 kept things going two batters later with a pinch-hit triple. Thomas then scored on a sac fly from Delaney, which made it an 8-3 game.

Zambarano continued to swing a strong bat in the eighth, smacking the first pitch he saw for a double to put runners on second and third. Another sac fly, this time from Joey Florio '20, and an RBI grounder from Thomas brought EC with four runs of Rochester at 9-5.

Although Garinder Singh Sarana '20 recorded all three outs in the bottom of the eighth with strikeouts, a lead-off solo homer by Jack Herman allowed the Yellowjackets to double-up the Soaring Eagles, pushing the gap back to five runs at 10-5.

News and Notes

• Rochester won the first all-time meeting between the two New York programs.
• Zambarano led all Soaring Eagles by going 3-for-4 with a double, home run, one RBI and two runs scored.
• Tommy Fogarty '20 also had multiple hits for EC, as he finished 2-for-3 with one run and one stolen base.
• Thomas tripled in two at-bats, scoring once and driving in another run.
• Thomas' extra-base knock was the first hit of his freshman season.
• Adams started on the mound for Elmira, allowing six earned runs and striking out two in 4.1 innings.
• Sarana struck out a season-high four in 3.2 innings and allowed two runs on five hits.

Up Next
Elmira and Rochester will conclude their three-game series with a doubleheader at Towers Field on Friday, March 15, beginning at 12:00 p.m.