ELMIRA, N.Y. -- An eighth-inning rally in game two of Tuesday's Empire 8 Conference doubleheader allowed visiting Keuka College to sweep the Elmira College softball team by scores of 8-0 and 8-4.
Keuka 8, Elmira 0
Whitney Tyler, the ace of the Keuka (7-11, 7-11 E8) pitching staff, held the Soaring Eagles (5-15, 4-10 E8) in check in the opening contest. The senior surrendered only three hits, one walk, and one hit-by-pitch and struck out six in a complete 5.0 inning performance.
Although EC was held off the scoreboard, the Soaring Eagles managed to put runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings. In the first,
Hannah Flagg '24 led off with a single, swiped second base, but was stranded at third. Trailing only 3-0 in the third,
Janie Kempf '21 drew a walk and raced to third on a base hit from
Ally Barr '21.
Barbara Guinto '24, who ran for Barr, stole second base, but Elmira could not cook up any two-out magic.
In the fourth,
Alex Brockhuizen '22 slapped a single into right. Brockhuizen rounded first and darted to second, as Keuka's Shelby Burgess let the ball roll by her in right field. Unfazed by the error, Tyler struck out two of the next three Soaring Eagles she faced to preserve the shutout.
Keuka 8, Elmira 4
The Soaring Eagles broke a 3-all tie in the bottom of the sixth but were unable to close the nightcap with the victory. Tyler, who pitched another 5.2 innings of relief in the late contest for Keuka, walked
Bella DeAmelia '24 to kick off the sixth. Pinch-runner
Mykenzie Malacusky '23 then reached second on a sacrifice bunt, stole third, and gave EC a 4-3 lead on an RBI single from Flagg.
Keuka rallied, however, and a two-out double by Abby Kruse in the top of the seventh knotted the score at 4-all.
Barr looked strong to start the extra inning as the senior pitcher collected back-to-back outs, including a strikeout to end a six-pitch at-bat. A critical error in the infield allowed Keuka to score the go-ahead run, and with momentum on their side, the Wolves added three more for insurance on consecutive two-out doubles.
A pair of free passes in the home half of the eighth put the potential tying run on deck for Elmira, but a soft liner and ground ball to Keuka's Jordan Cole at third base resulted in the final outs of the evening.
News and Notes
- Barr pitched her eighth and ninth complete games of the season against Keuka on Tuesday.
- Flagg and Alex Brockhuizen had a hit in both contests.
- Flagg, who extended her hit streak to six in a row, has reached base safely in nine straight games.
- In the second matchup, Flagg finished 1-for-2 with three walks and a team-high two runs.
- Kempf and Felicity Brockhuizen '22 had multi-hit efforts in the late game, and both Soaring Eagles drove in a run.
Up Next
On Friday, April 30, the Soaring Eagles begin a six-game homestand with an Empire 8 twin bill against Russell Sage College at 4:00 p.m.
