Score: Elmira College 2, Rutgers University-Camden 1
Records: Elmira (1-2), Rutgers-Camden (1-1)
Location: Fayetteville, N.C. - Shelley-Armstrong Field

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. -- Elmira College scored twice in the top of the first inning on Saturday, and that was all the run support Conor Bawiec '18 needed, as the junior hurled a complete-game gem to guide the Soaring Eagles to a 2-1 victory over Rutgers University-Camden at the Armstrong Invitational.

En route to EC's first win of the 2017 season, Bawiec pieced together one of the finest outings of his career on the mound. The third-year utility man allowed just the one run on seven hits without issuing a walk in 9.0 innings of work, while setting a program single-game record with 10 strikeouts. The only run Bawiec surrendered was a loud one – a solo home run off the bat of Matt Yanick in the bottom of the second inning, which cut Elmira's lead in half at 2-1. From there, he carved through the Rutgers-Camden lineup, setting down the Scarlet Raptors in order in the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth innings.

Rutgers-Camden came close to tying the contest on two occasions, putting runners on third with two outs in both the fourth and sixth innings, but on both occasions Bawiec stranded the would-be tying runs with a strikeout. EC's starter then topped off the stellar performance by striking out the Rutgers-Camden side in order in the ninth.

At the plate, the Soaring Eagles opened the game with hits in four of their first five at-bats. Hayden Rothenberg '17 led off the game with a two-bagger and was driven in on a Jack Thistle '18 base hit. Following a Dylan Bellinger '17 single, Bawiec laid down a sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. Nate Hanner '18 earned the eventual game-winning RBI when he plated Thistle with a base knock in the following at-bat. Although the Soaring Eagles were unable to score another run in the remaining eight innings, EC had runners in scoring position on four other occasions.

Turning Point
Rutgers-Camden's best chance to knot the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. With one out, Chris Jones doubled to deep center field. Two batters later, Bawiec fanned Frank Cerami IV, but an errant throw to first by Elmira catcher Will Jenkins '18 following a dropped third strike extended the inning and allowed Jones to move up to third base. However, Bawiec retired Brett Kuchera with another strikeout in the following at-bat, and this time, Jenkins was able to complete the throw to Bellinger to preserve the lead.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Corey Paluga on Saturday's victory over Rutgers-Camden…
"It was a very well-played game by both sides. Conor throwing a complete game was a big part of our success today, but their pitcher went deep into the game as well. Both pitchers scattered a lot of hits and minimized mistakes. It was just a well-played ballgame by both teams."

Coach Paluga when asked about opening the game with a 2-0 lead, which the Soaring Eagles also did in Friday's loss…
"A two-run lead in college baseball is never something you want to settle for. You always looking to tack on more runs as the game goes on. We talked to the hitters about that throughout the game, trying to scratch another run across here or there."

Coach Paluga on Conor Bawiec's outstanding pitching performance against the Scarlet Raptors…
"With his work ethic and his conditioning, he's certainly capable of going deep into a lot of games. He continued to keep hitters off balance and was able to strand runners. And the defense played behind him; there were several nice plays defensively around the field that I think fueled his confidence, knowing that he didn't have to do it all himself."

Coach Paluga talks about the competitiveness of the Soaring Eagles through the first three games of the 2017 in contrast to how the first two varsity seasons began…
"Confidence is very high and the energy has been tremendous. They are confident that, individually, they're ready to compete and that their teammates are ready to compete. Ultimately, a lot of it comes down to the overall competitiveness within our team. We've used a lot of guys already through three games in difference situations. I think that alone epitomizes our talks about being a family and when your name is called that you're ready to play."

Inside the Box Score

• Elmira scored two runs on 11 hits and committed one error defensively.
• Rutgers-Camden plated one run on seven hits without an error.
• Eight of EC's nine starters registered at least one hit and all nine reached base safely at least once.
• Rothenberg, Bellinger, and Hanner each finished 2-for-4.
• Rothenberg and Thistle scored Elmira's two runs, while Thistle and Hanner picked up the two RBIs.
• Bawiec, in addition to finishing 1-for-3 at the plate, tossed a nine-inning complete game for the Soaring Eagles.
• Bawiec fanned a game-high 10 batsmen without issuing a walk to earn the victory.
• Ian Scheidemann was tagged with the loss after giving up two earned runs on 10 hits.
• Matthew Stoots threw two scoreless innings of relief for Rutgers-Camden.
• Yanick, the designated hitter, provided the lone run for the Scarlet Raptors with a solo shot in the second.

News and Notes

• Elmira is 1-2 overall so far this season.
• Saturday's win is the first-ever for EC during the month of February.
• The Soaring Eagles take 1-0 lead in the all-time series against Rutgers-Camden.
• Elmira's 11 hits are a season high, while its five strikeouts are a season low.
• Bawiec tossed the fifth complete game of his career and his second nine-inning CG.
• Bawiec established a new program single-game record with 10 strikeouts.
• Rothenberg has recorded a hit in 13 consecutive games, the longest such streak on the team, dating back to last season.
• Dennis Rudolph '18 extended his on-base streak to a team-best 15 straight games, a streak that also dates back to 2016.

Up Next
The Soaring Eagles will conclude play at Methodist University's Armstrong Invitational on Sunday, February 26th, at 11:00 a.m. against Mitchell College at Shelley-Armstrong Field in Fayetteville, North Carolina.