Score: SUNY Cobleskill 19, Elmira College 17
Records: Elmira (3-15), SUNY Cobleskill (6-10)
Location: Dunn Field -- Elmira, N.Y.

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- A tremendous start to Wednesday's non-conference game against SUNY Cobleskill turned into a nightmare finish for the Elmira College baseball team, as the Fighting Tigers earned an improbable 19-17 comeback win over the Soaring Eagles at historic Dunn Field.

The Soaring Eagles led 9-1 after two innings and extended their cushion to 14-4 in the bottom of the sixth. In the next inning, however, the Fighting Tigers plundered the Purple and Gold for 15 runs on six hits, seven walks, and four EC errors. Elmira needed three different relief pitchers and 81 pitches to finally escape the top of the seventh, but not before surrendering a once comfortable lead.

First-year southpaw Declan Driscoll '22 entered out of the bullpen in the seventh with the score knotted at 14-all. He was able to fan Cobleskill's Felix Pacheco with a trio of pitches to begin his outing, but the Fighting Tigers plated all three inherited runners, and another pair of unearned runs before Driscoll ended the frame with a second strikeout. The Milton, Massachusetts, native wrapped up his season-long 2.2-inning appearance by tossing a scoreless eighth and ninth.

Trailing 19-14, Elmira nearly pieced together a comeback of its own. Harrison Zambarano '19 drove in two runs with a single to center, before scoring on a sac fly by Jansen Crossley '20 to make it a 19-17 contest in the eighth inning. Jared Money '22 then snuck a two-out ground ball up the middle to bring the potential tying run to the plate in the ninth, but a routine ground ball was hauled in by the SUNY Cobleskill first baseman to conclude the game.

Not to be overshadowed in the frustrating loss to the Tigers were several notable performances at the plate, as EC recorded season highs in runs (17), hits (19), and home runs (2). Freshman catcher Jack Thomas '22 and classmate Joe Morrone '22, who made his first start at designated hitter, both took advantage of the strong winds to launch their first-ever homers deep to beyond the left-field fence. Zambarano finished 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBIs, and Crossley drove in a team-high four runs while hitting 2-for-3 with a pair of sacrifice flies. Mason Ryan '22 (2-for-5), Tommy Fogarty '20 (2-for-3), Mark Ryan '21 (3-for-6), and Shane Hake '21 (2-for-5) also logged multiple hits against Cobleskill. 

Junior pitchers Garinder Singh Sarana '20 and Zach Williamson '20 were Elmira's most effective arms on Wednesday evening, as the former allowed one unearned run with three strikeouts in 3.0 innings, while the latter struck out three in 2.0 scoreless frames.

News and Notes

• Wednesday's game saw 10 Soaring Eagles finish with at least one hit and eight record at least one RBI.
• All nine players in Elmira's starting lineup had a hit against SUNY Cobleskill.
• Mason Ryan extended his hit streak to four consecutive games.
• With two hits, Fogarty posted the seventh multi-hit game of his junior campaign.
• Zambarano's four hits mark a single-game career-high.
• Crossley tied a career high with four RBIs.
• Thomas and Morrone each slugged their first collegiate home runs against the Fighting Tigers.

Up Next
Elmira will look to rebound on Thursday, April 4, when the Soaring Eagles host Alfred State at Dunn Field for another midweek non-conference game. First pitch against the Pioneers is set for 4:00 p.m.