Score: Elmira College 11, SUNY Canton 3
Score: Elmira College 8. SUNY Canton 4
Records: Elmira (6-26, 4-13 E8), Canton (7-25, 4-11 E8)
Location: Elmira. N.Y. -- Dunn Field

ELMIRA, N.Y. -- The Elmira College baseball team rebounded from a narrow loss on Saturday night by sweeping an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader against SUNY Canton by scores of 11-3 and 8-4 on Sunday afternoon at historic Dunn Field.

With the victories, the Soaring Eagles secured their first E8 series win of the 2018 campaign, in addition to posting back-to-back wins for the first time this spring. In both games combined, the Purple and Gold belted 27 hits, including seven extra-base hits, with 18 RBIs. Harrison Zambarano '19 paced the team with five hits in the twin bill, while Nick Sampogna '18 finished 4-for-6 (.667) with a home run and a team-high four RBIs.

On the mound, Conor Bawiec '18 notched a complete game with eight strikeouts to win the opener. In the nightcap, Joe Kidd '18 and Andy Reed '19 combined for seven strikeouts, with Reed earning the win in 3.0 innings of relief.

Game One
Every starter finished with at least one hit, and seven different Soaring Eagles drove in a run to guide EC to a lopsided victory. Elmira scored thrice in both the third and fourth innings, before posting a five-spot in the bottom of the sixth to blow the game open. Sampogna, who earned the start in right field, had a brilliant day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with a game-high four RBIs and three runs scored. He finished a triple shy of the cycle, as his second career homer highlighted the contest.

Sampogna and Dennis Rudolph '18 opened the scoring by hitting back-to-back RBI doubles in the bottom of the third inning. After Rudolph swiped third, he came around to score on a two-out RBI single off the bat of Joey Florio '20. In the fourth inning, Sampogna picked up two RBIs with a shot over the wall in right field, the same spot he slugged his first career dinger back on April 27, 2016, in a home win over Pennsylvania College of Technology.

The Soaring Eagles continued to pile on runs in the sixth. The frame began with a single by Sam Plaugher '20 and a four-pitch walk to Bryce Plante '18, but EC loaded the bases when Bawiec was able to reach first on a SUNY Canton error. Tommy Fogarty '20 then drove in a pair with a base hit through the left side. Elmira made it a 9-3 game on the following RBI single from Sampogna, a rocket off of the bat that bounced high off of the right-field fence. Zambarano and Jourdan Plaisted '20 batted in the final two runs of the inning in with a single and groundout, respectively.

Bawiec tossed all 7.0 innings in his second victory of the season. The senior utility man scattered five hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. Perhaps Bawiec's only two miscues were the two homers he gave up against power-hitting Canton shortstop, Wilson Matos, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and three more batted in.

Game Two
Just as Bawiec did in the early game, classmate Joe Kidd '18 opened the late tilt with a strong pitching performance. He began with five scoreless innings of work after striking out the first two Kangaroos he faced. He then retired three in a row after to strand runners on first and second in the second inning, induced a double play in the third, and fanned Brett Bautista to end the fourth with a man on third.

Kidd entered the sixth with a 2-0 lead, but despite another strikeout to kick off what proved to be his final inning, the 'Roos pelted three consecutive doubles to spark a four-run frame. Fernando Santana, Brett Hoberman, and Joseph Dwy each drove in one run with a two-bagger, while the latter scored an unearned run, which turned a two-run deficit into a 4-2 advantage.

Elmira's comeback was completed on the other end of the seventh-inning stretch. For the second time during the Sunday doubleheader, the Soaring Eagles batted around in an inning, this time lighting up the scoreboard with six runs. The wheels started to fall off for SUNY Canton when Jack Thistle '18 reached on an error while sacrificing Fogarty to third. Rudolph followed with an RBI double over the head of the Canton center fielder, and Zambarano found room up the middle to register another run-scoring base hit, as EC regained the lead, 5-4.

Middle infielders Jansen Crossley '20 and Plante added some insurance in the seventh with an RBI single and a two-run double, respectively, before Jordan Miller – the third SUNY Canton pitcher used in the inning – was finally able to halt EC's scoring outburst.

Reed relieved Kidd in the top of the seventh and earned the win with three scoreless innings. He struck out two in his first inning out of the bullpen, including a big three-pitch punch out with the dangerous Matos at the dish. The third-year lefty received some help from the defense to end the contest, as the final out was recorded when Rudolph gunned down Brian Santana as the Canton outfielder tried to go from first to third on a Matos hit.

In Their Own Words...
Head Coach Corey Paluga on the sweep of SUNY Canton...
"I think the difference was the consistent pitching effort that we got today. Conor (Bawiec) in game one, (Joe) Kidd in game two with how efficient he was through six innings, and then Andy (Reed) being one of our top relievers and closing the door like he's done numerous times in his career. I think that's what ultimately was the difference, being able to put two very good pitching performances together in back-to-back games."

Coach Paluga on Nick Sampogna's recent surge at the plate...
"It started during the Houghton series. We needed to continue to find opportunities to get his bat in the lineup. With his athleticism in the outfield, at this point, it's a no-brainer that his bat needs to continue to be in the lineup."

Coach Paluga when asked about several of the seniors contributing to the sweep following Saturday night's Senior Day ceremonies...
"A lot of people I don't think fully understand how challenging it's been for them to come into a college athletic experience with nothing established, to build a program on their own with a first-time head coach, and to establish a level of expectation. For them to be able to do that, they're really the reason why we've had the success we've had in four short years. It's really hard to put into words how much they not only mean to the program but what it means to me personally, the fact that they put a lot of faith in me."

Coach Paluga on finishing the season on a strong note for the Class of 2018...
"We've said that a lot this year and not just in the past couple of weeks. We even mentioned that halfway through the season when we were in kind of a rut, that as the season goes on, their experience continues to shrink from the amount they have left. It's not only playing for the seniors but playing for each other."

News and Notes

• EC improved to 5-6 at Dunn Field this season with back-to-back wins over SUNY Canton.
• For the second consecutive season, the Soaring Eagles won the E8 series vs. Canton by taking two-of-three games.
• All-time against the Kangaroos, Elmira is 6-5.
• With eight strikeouts in the opening contest, Bawiec tied his single-season career-high with 49 this spring.
• Reed's scoreless outing marked his second of the season.
• Kidd logged season-highs in both innings (6.0) and strikeouts (5).
• Sampogna had a hit in all three games against SUNY Canton this weekend.
• Zambarano boasts the team's longest active on-base streak at seven in a row.
• Zambarano tied a single-game career-high with three hits in the nightcap.

Up Next
On Tuesday, May 1, the Soaring Eagles will travel to Alfred, New York, to face the Pioneers of Alfred State College. The non-conference contest is scheduled to begin at 3:00 p.m.