ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to complete a 6-5 walk-off comeback against Keuka College on Sunday afternoon at historic Dunn Field.

The Empire 8 Conference matchup between the Soaring Eagles (5-24, 3-12 E8) and the Wolves (5-11, 5-11 E8) was an exciting one from start to finish. Offenses were quiet through the first five innings, as Ray Mineo '22 and Keuka starter KC Howe engaged in a pitchers' duel. Not only were the pitchers dealing, but the defenses made play after play to help out their teammates on the mound.

In the top of the fourth, Mineo needed only four pitches to retire the side. The second out was made by shortstop Jarod Signorelli '23, who stole a base hit from Tyler Broderick with a tremendous grab. In the hot corner, Myles Littlejohn '24 snagged a pair of hard-hit line drives in the sixth and seventh innings.

On Class of 2021 Recognition Day, senior backstop Jourdan Plaisted '21 showed off his arm behind the plate by throwing out a pair of would-be base stealers in the third and fifth innings. Perhaps Plaisted's best play of the day came with the bat in his hands, however. Down 2-1 in the sixth, the Walworth, New York, native was first-pitch hacking and crushed a fastball over Dunn Field's high fence in right for a two-run homer.

With the help of two EC errors in the seventh, the Wolves regained the lead and entered the bottom of the ninth up 5-3. With two outs in the eighth, reliever AJ Pankowski was called upon in a save situation. The lefty got the last out of the eighth and the first of the ninth without much trouble, but things began to unravel quickly.

Back-to-back walks to Shane Hake '21 and Angus Adams '22 put the tying run on base for the Soaring Eagles. Signorelli then loaded the bases with a well-placed bunt on the left side of the infield. The Wolves got the second out with a force at home plate, before Jared Money '22 battled and dropped a game-tying two-run hit just out of reach of the Keuka right fielder.

Pankowski re-loaded the bases with another free pass, which sent arguably Elmira's biggest run-producing threat, Joe Morrone '22, to the plate. The Wolves breathed a brief sigh of relief when the slugging first baseman skied the ball to deep right, but outfielder Nick Boyle failed to make the catch, allowing James Delaney '22 to score the winning run.

News and Notes

• Before the game, Elmira honored its six graduating seniors from the Class of 2021 – Hake, Plaisted, Taber Carter '21, Mark Ryan '21, Mason Weir '21, and Alex Crysler '21.
• Sunday's victory was the sixth walk-off win in program history and the first since doing so against Keuka on April 30, 2019.
• Money and Plaisted both finished with two hits, two RBIs, and one run scored.
• Morrone, who batted 2-for-5 with a double, extended his hit streak to seven consecutive games.
• Since the start of April, Morrone has been on a tear, raising his batting average from .167 to .346.
• In a no-decision, Mineo threw his best game as a Soaring Eagle. In a season-high 7.1 innings, the junior righty allowed four runs (two earned) with four strikeouts.
• Crysler received the win, the second of his career, after giving up just one run with one strikeout in 1.2 innings.

Up Next
On Wednesday, May 5, the Soaring Eagles will travel to Utica, New York, for an Empire 8 doubleheader against Utica College at 1:00 p.m.