ELMIRA, N.Y. -- Excellent pitching led the way for the Elmira College baseball team on Saturday, helping the Soaring Eagles rebound from a pair of losses against SUNY Canton with a sweep of the 'Roos at historic Dunn Field.

Senior ace Taber Carter '21 twirled a complete-game shutout in the opening contest, an 8-0 victory for the Soaring Eagles (2-8). In the nightcap, Ray Mineo '22, Jack Finnerty '23, and David Kruis '23 limited Canton (2-4) to two hits in a 4-2 triumph.

Elmira 8, SUNY Canton 0
Carter dazzled in the first half of Saturday's twin bill. The fourth-year right-handed hurler logged the third complete game of his career, using 94 pitches to scatter four hits and one walk across a season-high 7.0 innings of work. Carter only struck out three and relied on his defense to help secure Elmira's first shutout win of the season.

With Carter dealing, the Soaring Eagles put pressure on Canton's pitching staff and defense from the get-go. In a two-run bottom of the first, James Delaney '22 tripled when his low line drive to center bounced underneath a diving Dyllon Bougor and rolled to the outfield wall. Delaney scored the game's first run on a wild pitch with Joe Morrone '22 at the dish. Morrone doubled the Elmira lead with another extra-base hit, a double to right-center that drove in Mason Ryan '22 from second.

The lead remained 2-0, though Elmira has several baserunners until the bottom of the fifth. The Soaring Eagles only had two hits in the inning, but Canton's defense came unglued and committed two critical errors. Up 3-0 with runners on first and second, Colin McLaughlin '22 laid down a sac bunt, but catcher Don Louis Rodriguez overthrew first, which allowed both baserunners to score. Michael Millross '24 later scored to widen the gap to 7-0 on an errant attempt to pick off Shane Hake'21 at first base.

Ryan led off the home half of the sixth with a base hit, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, and scored on a Jourdan Plaisted '21 base hit for an insurance run.

Elmira 4, SUNY Canton 2
Although it wasn't a shutout, the work on the mound by Mineo, Finnerty, and Kruis was the key to Elmira's second win of the afternoon. The Soaring Eagles outhit Canton, but also had several miscues in the field that nearly came back to bite them in the later innings. As a staff, however, EC's pitching trio allowed just one earned run on two hits.

Hake gave Elmira the lead in the first, as the senior outfielder walked on four pitches, swiped second and third, and scored on a Ryan RBI base knock. The 'Roos managed to even the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, but the Soaring Eagles quickly responded with a run-scoring shot up the middle by McLaughlin in the bottom of the frame.

The Soaring Eagles added one run in the fifth when Jared Money '22 doubled and was driven in by James Delaney '22. That run was vital, as a pair of errors almost allowed Canton to even the score again. With one on and one away, Nathan Welch hit a grounder to Morrone, but EC's first baseman made a wild throw to second in an attempt to start a double play. In the next at-bat, McLaughlin dropped a fly ball in right, and Canton cut the lead to 3-2. The 'Roos moved two into scoring position with a well-timed double steal, but the inning ended when Finnerty fielded a comebacker for the second out, and Money snagged a liner at second base for the third out.

Clinging to a 4-2 lead in the top of the seventh, Kruis was called out of the bullpen and retired the side in order. His first two outs were ground balls hit to the left side at Ryan, a welcomed addition to the Elmira infield after missing the last five games due to injury. The junior from Endicott, New York, made several key plays at short, including a tremendous over-the-shoulder catch in shallow left for the final out of the third.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Corey Paluga when asked about the performance by Elmira pitcher's during the sweep of Canton...
"Our pitching staff stepped up a big way today. Their ability to attack the strike zone and keep the defense engaged was a huge factor. They kept their composure during stressful situations and minimized damage. Without a doubt, they were the reason we won two games today."

News and Notes

• Elmira's wins vs. Canton are the team's first of the 2021 season.
• The win in the first game is EC's first shutout since May 5, 2018, when the Soaring Eagles blanked Medaille College, 8-0.
• As a team, Elmira outhit SUNY Canton, .310-to-.128.
• Ryan (3-for-6) and Plaisted (2-for-4) each batted a team-high .500, and both players scored multiple runs.
• Seven different batters had one RBI for the Soaring Eagles.
• Ryan and Hake each stole three bases in the twin bill.
• McLaughlin had two hits and was responsible for two of EC's sac bunts.
• Delaney hit 2-for-6 (.333) with a triple, one of four extra-base hits for the Soaring Eagles on the day.
• Mineo earned his first win as a Soaring Eagle, and Kruis locked down the first save of his career in the late contest.

Up Next
Empire 8 Conference play begins on Friday, April 2, with a home doubleheader against Utica College. The early matchup will start at 1:00 p.m. at Dunn Field.