HORSEHEADS, N.Y. – The Elmira College softball team hosted the Highlanders of Houghton University for an Empire 8 doubleheader Monday afternoon. The Soaring Eagles celebrated Senior Day with a pair of wins, 8–0 and 1–0.
GAME ONE: EC Offense Explodes for 8 Runs
The Soaring Eagles started strong as Savannah Persun struck out two Houghton batters. After Sophia Polzella advanced to third base on a pair of Houghton errors, Kendall Curreri's sacrifice fly gave EC an early lead after one inning. Elmira built on its lead in the second inning, as Brooke Eastman's base hit scored Sophia Temple before Jenna Burns stole home. Persun retired the first three batters in the third inning, then Teona Cruz doubled to left field to drive in Hannah Colwill. Temple followed with an RBI single to give the Soaring Eagles a 5–0 lead after three innings. As Persun carried her strong performance into the fifth inning, the EC offense added three more runs thanks to hits from Colwill and Cruz to secure an 8–0 victory in five innings.
GAME TWO: Strong Pitching from Persun Lifts EC to 1–0 Victory
After a couple of hitless innings for the Highlanders thanks to strong pitching from Persun, the Soaring Eagles struck first in the second inning as Polzella's walk brought Jenna Burns home. Persun maintained her momentum throughout the game, allowing just two hits and striking out five to secure the 1–0 win.
LEADERS
Savannah Persun had a dominant day, pitching 13 innings and allowing just three hits while recording 11 strikeouts. Offensively, Teona Cruz tallied three hits and two RBIs, while Hannah Colwill, Sophia Temple, and Brooke Eastman each added two hits and an RBI.
UP NEXT
The Soaring Eagles will hit the road as they travel to Oneonta to face Hartwick College in an Empire 8 doubleheader on Tuesday, March 28. First pitch is set for 4:00 PM.
