Elmira Earns Crucial E8 Win; Utica Sweeps RPI
ELMIRA v St. John Fisher
With the end of the regular season coming to a close, the Elmira College softball team has essentially been playing playoff style doubleheaders against Empire 8 Conference teams and today was no different as the Soaring Eagles hosted the Cardinals of St. John Fisher College. Elmira, who had just two conference wins entering today's doubleheader, swept the Cardinals to keep EC's playoff hopes alive with a 9-1 win in five innings in game one and a 5-3 come from behind victory in game two.
Game One Recap – Elmira 9, St. John Fisher 1 (5 innings)
The Cardinals wasted little time at the plate today as Meghan Burns took advantage of a strong gust blowing towards left field, slapping a solo shot on the third pitch of the game to put St. John Fisher ahead 1-0.
Elmira responded in the bottom half of the first inning with a two-out solo homer by Megan Anderson, tying things up at one apiece. Then, still working with two outs, Elmira placed three batters on base thanks to a walk, an error and a single. With the bases loaded, an error by the Cardinals, their second of the inning, allowed
Emily Carlin '17 to score the go-ahead run, putting the Purple and Gold up, 2-1.
Looking to build on their slim lead, Elmira did just that in the bottom of the third inning as the Soaring Eagles scored six runs to take a commanding 8-1 lead. Katie Day started the offensive surge with an RBI single up the middle that scored Carlin from second base. Then, another costly error by the Cardinals would allow Day to score, putting EC ahead 4-1.
With the offense clicking and untimely Cardinal errors, Elmira was able to load the bases for Katie Dore, who went up 3-0 in the count on St. John Fisher pitcher Halie Schoff. Dore took the next pitch, which looked to be inside, and proceeded to trot down the first base line before a delayed strike call was made at home plate, extending Dore's at-bat. The late call proved to be a blessing in disguise as Dore belted the next pitch she saw over the left field wall for her second grand slam in five days, putting Elmira in the driver's seat, 8-1 through three innings.
The Cardinals would put one batter in scoring position in the fifth inning but would strand the runner on second. St. John Fisher's inability to capitalize was taken advantage of by the Purple and Gold as a sacrifice bunt by Bupp in the fifth turned into a fielding error by the Cardinals which let
Jacquelyn Heggie '16 score Elmira's ninth run of the game, giving EC a 9-1 victory.
Alex Puglisi finished the game with three strikeouts, allowing just three hits and one run.
Game Two Recap – Elmira 5, St. John Fisher 3
Dore led off the bottom of the first inning with an infield single but would be forced out at second on a fielder's choice that put
Mikayla Bean '14 on first base. Following Bean's at-bat, Anderson extended her hitting streak to 10 games as she blistered one up the middle, advancing Bean to third base. Then, Elmira manufactured a run as Anderson attempted a delayed steal that prompted a throw from the St. John Fisher catcher, resulting in a rundown between first and second base. The rundown allowed Bean to sneak home, scoring the game's first run, giving EC a 1-0 edge.
St. John Fisher evened things at 1-1 in the top of the third inning on an RBI double by Jennifer Knaak. Knaak would deliver another big hit in the top of the sixth inning as she poked a two-run homer to give the Cardinals a 3-1 lead with just an inning and a half to play.
In the bottom half of the sixth inning, Bean looked to start an EC rally but would find herself in an early 1-2 hole in the count. Bean would not go away without a fight though as she eventually worked a 14-pitch walk, an at-bat that included eight fouled off pitches with two strikes against her.
Bean's fight at the plate may have been the biggest play in the game as Elmira's next batter, Anderson, smashed her second homer of the afternoon, driving in Bean and herself to tie the game at 3-3.
Elmira's next batter, Carlin, doubled on a 0-2 count to right center which prompted speedster
Julianne Heggie '16 to pinch run for her. The move to have Heggie pinch run was a good one as Day singled up the middle, allowing Heggie to score the go-ahead run. EC tacked on another run in the inning on an RBI double by
Jacquelyn Heggie '16, a run that proved to be more than enough as Elmira went on to win it, 5-3.
Rogers got the start in game two, tossing five innings of two-run ball. She struck out eight batters before being relieved by Puglisi who would eventually close out the game to earn her sixth win of the season.
UTICA v RPI
The Utica College softball team swept host RPI in non-conference action Wednesday afternoon at RPI's Doris Robinson Field. UC squeaked out a 3-2 win in the first game, before cruising to a 9-0 run-rule victory in game two.
Utica 3, RPI 2- Game One Final
Senior
Meghan Matan and freshman
Kassidy Ogren were each 2-for-3 at the plate, while
Alysa Russell was 2-for-4. The Pioneers got on the board early in the first inning as Russell hit an RBI double to left center to bring home
Chelsea Monroe. The Engineers rebounded in the bottom half of the inning as Taylor Ten Eyck drove in Morgan Kollmeier.
UC added another run in the fifth as a two-out double from Monroe drove in Ogren. However, once again RPI responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring one run. The Pioneers went up 3-2 in the sixth inning as Ogren drove in Matan. The Engineers threatened, but pitcher
Erica Colucci stood strong as she held on for the victory.
Colucci allowed just three hits and struck out two in seven innings of work to pick up the win. Her counterpart, Kristina Weltzin, gave up eight hits in the loss.
Uitca 9, RPI 0- Game Two Final
Neither team was able to plate a run as it was scoreless after two full innings, however the Pioneers exploded for five runs in the third inning en route to their 17th win of the season.
Christy Traglia got things going in the third as she doubled to center field to score
Chelsea Monroe and
Taylor Ellis. Just one batter later,
Alysa Russell tripled to right center to score Traglia, followed by a double from
Courtney Fitzgerald which plated Russell. A wild pitch then brought home Fitzgerald to cap off the scoring in the inning.
UC added four more runs in the fourth inning as Monroe, Fitzgerald, Traglia, and Matan scored. That was all the Pioneers needed as
Abby Monroe picked up her second shutout in three games. Monroe struck out three and allowed just two hits in her 11th win of the season.
Fitzgerald was 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Traglia was 2-for-2.
Chelsea Monroe, Russell, Matan, and
Cassie Smith each had one hit for Utica.