KEUKA PARK, N.Y. -- Runs were anything but scarce for the Elmira College and Keuka College baseball teams on Saturday, as the Wolves earned a pair of Empire 8 Conference wins over the Soaring Eagles by scores of 15-8 and 15-11.

Elmira (3-12, 1-3 E8) was six outs away from taking the opening game, but Keuka (2-4, 2-4 E8) rallied in the sixth with a 10-run outburst. Bats remained hot in the nightcap, with both sides combining for 26 runs on 25 hits before darkness halted the game in the eighth.

Keuka 15, Elmira 8
There was no shortage of extra-base hits for either team in the early bout. Joe Morrone '22 slugged a two-run double in the first, and Colin McLaughlin '22 followed with an RBI triple in the second. In the top of the fourth, Myles Littlejohn '24 crushed a solo homer, and Jourdan Plaisted '21 cleared the bases with a two-bagger. Entering the bottom of the fifth, Elmira had a firm grasp on the lead at 8-1.

The Wolves began their comeback in the home half of the fifth, scoring four runs to trim EC's advantage to 8-5. But Elmira starter Ray Mineo '22 was still in line for the victory when he left the mound, having allowed five runs (four earned) with seven strikeouts in 5.0 innings.

Keuka rallied in the sixth, however, logging a 10-spot despite having just three hits in the frame. David Kruis '23, the second relief pitcher Elmira called upon in the inning, was given the ball in a challenging situation. Kruis inherited the bases loaded with no outs, and three of the first four batters he faced reached on errors. A fourth Elmira error only made matters worse, extending the inning long enough for Keuka to turn a three-run deficit into a seven-run cushion.

Keuka 15, Elmira 11
At least one run was scored in every inning of the late game, as batters continued to punish the opposing pitching staff. Keuka drove in six runs in the first to pull ahead 6-1, and every time it looked like the Soaring Eagles were making a comeback, the Wolves did just enough to distance themselves.

A two-run base hit from Plaisted highlighted a four-run second inning for EC, as the Purple and Gold trimmed the Keuka lead to 6-5. After the Wolves climbed back ahead by three, Mason Ryan '22 drove in one with a sac fly, and Jared Money '22 scored on a wild pitch to make it an 8-7 game in favor of the hosts through four-and-a-half frames.

Keuka's offense never slowed down, adding one run in the bottom of the fourth, two in the fifth, and three in the sixth.

Now trailing 14-7, the Soaring Eagles clawed back once again with a three-run seventh. Three consecutive one-out hits, including an infield single off the bat of Luke Frontale '22, pushed across the first run of the inning. Jacob Parker '24 was inserted off the bench and came through with a two-run single to reduce the deficit to four runs, 14-10.

Both teams recorded a run in the eighth before the umpires called the game due to darkness.

News and Notes

• Saturday's games were the first between Elmira and Keuka as Empire 8 opponents; the Wolves are in their first season as E8 members.
• Elmira's 11 hits in the second game are a season-high, and the 11 runs in that contest are the second-most scored by the Soaring Eagles this season.
• The five extra-base hits in the first game are also a single-game season-high for EC.
• Eight of the 11 Soaring Eagles with an at-bat on Saturday picked up at least one hit.
• Five starters batted above .400 in the twin bill, led by Littlejohn, who hit a combined .500 (3-for-6) with a 1.167 slugging percentage.
• Littlejohn's home run in the first game was the first of his collegiate career.
• Morrone paced Elmira's batters with four hits, including a 3-for-5 showing in the nightcap.
• Plaisted and McLaughlin extended their hitting streaks to eight and seven games, respectively.
• McLaughlin and Ryan each scored a team-high four runs, while McLaughlin was 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
• Mineo struck out a team-high seven in the first game, while Robert Gruber '22 fanned five in 2.2 innings out of the bullpen in the second game.

Up Next
Sunday's doubleheader against Keuka at historic Dunn Field was postponed due to impending weather. Elmira's next game is scheduled for Tuesday, April 20, at 6:00 p.m. at Houghton College.