April 29, 2019

Elmira Splits Another Doubleheader at SUNY Canton on Monday

More news about: Elmira

Batting

Elmira
2B: Sam Plaugher
3B: Joey Florio
HR: none
SUNY-Canton
2B: none
3B: none
HR: none
full stats

Score: Elmira College 4, SUNY Canton 3
Score: SUNY Canton 9, Elmira College 3
Records: Elmira (6-27, 3-13 E8), Canton (7-28, 2-14 E8)
Location: SUNY Canton Baseball Field -- Canton, N.Y.

CANTON, N.Y. -- For the second day in a row, the Elmira College baseball team split a twin bill against the Kangaroos of SUNY Canton in North Country.

The Soaring Eagles scored the first four runs of the opening game and held on to defeat the 'Roos, 4-3, but dropped a 9-3 decision in the nightcap. As a result, the two teams finished their four-game set with two wins apiece, although Elmira won the Empire 8 Conference series, two-games-to-one.

Game One
Monday's matinee, the last game of the E8 series, showcased a pitcher's duel for the first five frames. In his first start of the year, Elmira's Corey DeMauro '20 was masterful, as he tossed a season-high 5.0 innings while giving up just two hits and one walk. DeMauro also struck out four 'Roos, including back-to-back batters to conclude his final inning in the bottom of the fifth.

Canton's Shane Tiernan worked in-and-out of trouble in the early innings but preserved the shutout until the sixth. After plunking Mason Ryan '22, Tiernan surrendered a go-ahead triple to Joey Florio '20, who made it 2-0 by scoring on a wild pitch.

The Soaring Eagles doubled their advantage in the seventh against Kangaroo reliever Kieran Gibson. The reigning Empire 8 Rookie of the Week, Jared Money '22, led off the frame with a walk and reached third on an errant throw by the Canton catcher. He scored in the next at-bat when Sam Plaugher '20 slugged a two-bagger into right field. Following a bunt base hit by Jack Thomas '22 that put runners on the corners, Plaugher made it a 4-0 contest by reaching home on a passed ball.

Senior southpaw Andy Reed '19 relived DeMauro out of the 'pen, and with the exception of one inning, was efficient toeing the rubber. An error on a fly ball to center field in the bottom of the eighth was enough breathing room for Canton to push across three unearned runs, but Reed recovered to end the inning with a strikeout. He then recorded a one-two-three ninth for his first save of the season.

Game Two
The only matchup of the series that was not decided by a single run was Monday's nightcap. It was all Canton, as Collin Trathen pitched a complete game and limited EC to five hits, while the Kangaroos posted nine runs on 11 hits and eight walks. Canton scored twice in the second inning and once in the third, but blew the game open with a five-spot in the sixth. 

Despite the loss, Garinder Singh Sarana '20 continued his wildly effective ways on the mound. The 6-foot-6-inch junior led all pitchers in the game with six strikeouts in just 3.0 innings. Out of the 'pen, Declan Driscoll '22 logged two-thirds of an inning without a run, and Alex Crysler '21 struck out one in 1.1 hitless innings.

Looking for another comeback, all of EC's runs came in the seventh. A walk to Money and consecutive singles from Thomas and Jourdan Plaisted '21 loaded the bases with only one away. A passed ball allowed Money to trot home, and an error by the Canton shortstop brought in two more runs.

In Their Own Words…
Head Coach Corey Paluga when asked about winning the Empire 8 series against Canton…
"Winning a conference series is and always will be the goal heading into each weekend. Now we must regroup and refocus heading into the last week and last conference series."

News and Notes

  • Elmira improved to 6-27 with the first game on Monday afternoon.
  • The Soaring Eagles remain in the lead in the all-time series against Canton, 8-7.
  • EC won its first E8 series of the season, two-games-to-one.
  • Tommy Fogarty '20 and Thomas each finished with two hits to lead the EC offense.
  • Money did not have a hit in the doubleheader, but walked three times and reached base at a rate of .429.
  • DeMauro hurled a season- and career-high 5.0 runs en route to the win in the opener.
  • Reed closed the victory for his first collegiate save.
  • Sarana moved into a tie with Nick Cottone '19 for fifth-place in program single-season history with 38 strikeouts in his junior campaign.
  • Mason Ryan has reached base in 10 consecutive games, trailing only his older brother, Mark Ryan '21 (15), for the longest such streak on the team this season.


Up Next
The Purple and Gold will host Keuka College in a non-league game on Tuesday, April 30, at historic Dunn Field. First pitch has been pushed back from its originally scheduled time of 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.