PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Elmira College baseball program recorded its first-ever Empire 8 Conference tournament victory on Friday as the Soaring Eagles secured a 6-5 victory in game one against St. John Fisher from Dugan Yard. The Cardinals responded with a 31-2 victory in game two to even the best-of-three series at one game apiece.

The game one victory for Elmira was just its second all-time against the Cardinals and first since April 19, 2015. The win also snapped a 23-game losing streak in the head-to-head series for the Purple & Gold.
 

GAME INFORMATION:
SCORE: No. 4 Elmira 6, No. 1 St. John Fisher 5 (Game One)
               No. 4 Elmira 2, No. 1 St. John Fisher 31 (Game Two)
TEAM RECORDS: Elmira (13-23-1), St. John Fisher (27-14)
LOCATION: Pittsford, New York | Dugan Yard
W|L|S: David Kruis (3-1) | Russell Dunlap (5-2) | None
            Connor McHugh (7-1) | Ray Mineo (1-6) | Jason Wall (1)


KEY MOMENT:
Colin McLaughlin '22 delivered a run-scoring double in the fifth inning before Joe Morrone '22 hit a three-run home run to give Elmira a 5-2 lead.

The Cardinals scored three runs in the seventh inning to knot the score 5-5 before McLaughlin beat out an infield single in the eighth inning to give the Soaring Eagles a 6-5 lead.

David Kruis '23 closed the game on the mound for EC and stranded a pair of runners on base in the bottom of the ninth inning.
 

HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cardinals would strike first in game one as a double to left field allowed a run to score and make it 1-0. Mason Ryan '22 opened the top of the second inning with a double and would later score as Brett Warden '25 singled to knot the score 1-1. The Soaring Eagles looked to take the lead but would leave the bases loaded following back-to-back strikeouts.

A solo home run would give St. John Fisher a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the second inning before Elmira starter Angus Adams '22 responded with three scoreless innings on the mound. McLaughlin knotted the score 2-2 with a double down the left-field line in the top of the fifth inning before Morrone would step up to the plate with a pair of runners on base. Morrone drove a ball over the wall in left field to give the Purple & Gold a 5-2 advantage.

The Soaring Eagles would make a call to the bullpen in the sixth inning as Kruis would take over for Adams with a three-run cushion. The Cardinals rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to knot the score 5-5. Elmira responded once again in the top of the eighth inning as McLaughlin snuck a ball through the right side with two outs to score Ryan Trenholm '25 and make it 6-5.

Kruis stranded a runner on base in the eighth inning and left a pair of runners on base in the ninth inning to secure the 6-5 victory and his third win of the season on the mound. Warden, McLaughlin, and James Delaney '22 each tallied multi-hit games for the Purple & Gold.

Determined to make a statement early in game two, St. John Fisher plated seven runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Cardinals added two more runs in the bottom of the second inning before Elmira plated a run in the top of the fourth inning. Ryan opened the frame with a single to right field and later advanced to third off a throwing error by the pitcher. Jourdan Plaisted '21 reached base on a fielder's choice to allow Ryan to score to make it 9-1.

The bottom of the fourth inning would prove pivotal to the Cardinals' success in game two as 12 runs would score to increase the advantage to 21-1. St. John Fisher would add three runs in the sixth and seventh innings and four more in the eighth inning. The Soaring Eagles plated a run in the top of the eighth inning as Myles Littlejohn '24 grounded out to third which allowed Ryan to score on the play.
 

STATS:
Despite taking a no-decision in game one, Adams allowed two runs off of six hits while walking two and fanning two batters.

Seven different Soaring Eagles recorded a hit in game one while McLaughlin and Ryan added doubles for EC.

Ryan, Plaisted, and Matteo Salvati '25 each recorded two hits for the Purple & Gold in game two.
 

UP NEXT:
The Soaring Eagles will face No. 1 seed, St. John Fisher, in a winner-take-all game three on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. from Dugan Yard. The winner of the best-of-three series will advance to the championship round to face either Utica or Sage on Friday, May 13 at the highest remaining seed.