ELMIRA, NY – The Elmira College Soaring Eagles were kept quiet until the sixth inning in Saturday afternoon's 5-4 loss to the Pioneers of Utica. Despite loading the bases with no one out in the final frame and bringing the tying run to third base, Utica escaped with a win by the slimmest of margins.

GAME INFORMATION:
SCORES: Elmira 4, Utica 5
LOCATION: HORSEHEADS, NY | HOLDING POINT RECREATION COMPLEX
W | L | S: W: Kooper Knabe (4-0) | S: Peyton Newton (2) | L: Logan Pizzullo '26 (1-3)

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Pizzullo kept the Pioneers' offense at bay in the first two innings, only allowing one hit through a pair.

Utica managed to get on the board in the third inning by way of a leadoff walk, sacrifice bunt, single, and RBI groundout from leadoff man Mike Rockwell.

Small ball hurt the Soaring Eagles again in the fourth, as a leadoff walk issued to DaShawn Hutchinson would result in the second run for the Pioneers. Following the walk, another sacrifice bunt moved Hutchinson into scoring position. A groundout back to Pizzullo moved him 90 feet away from scoring. A hard-hit ball off the bat of Josh Duval plated Hutchinson before the next batter would ground out.

The Pioneers got their leadoff man aboard in the fifth inning as well. Two wild pitches and an error in the field later, he came around to score, making it 3-0 Utica.

Utica plated two more in the sixth, extending its lead to 5-0 against Pizzullo. In the bottom of the frame, Connor Stone '26 sent a ball to the right field fence. Stone, after sliding safely into third base, was awarded home as the throw from the second baseman sailed out of play, getting EC on the board.

Gabe Fellows '26 led off the seventh with a single. Kaden Bolt '26 followed up with another single. Bryan Jimenez '25 joined the hit parade, making it three singles in a row, signaling the end of Knape's day on the mound.

Peyton Newton came in to pitch for Utica and immediately drilled Brett Warden '25, scoring Fellows, and bringing up Xander Canfield '26 with no one out and bases loaded. Canfield would walk, bringing home Bolt and the lead shrunk to 5-2.

Following a strikeout from Stone, Nick Lees '25 lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that was deep enough to score Jimenez. The flyout made it a one-run game with two outs and Warden, the tying run on third. With Sean Deaner '26 pinch hitting, Warden was thrown out on the basepaths to end the game.

UP NEXT:

The Soaring Eagles will play a doubleheader at home tomorrow, Sunday, Mar. 30 against Utica. First pitch for game one is slated for 12 P.M.