Soaring Eagles Win Wild One

In a game that featured 35 runs, 24 hits, 25 walks, and eight errors, Elmira earned a 21-14 victory over Alfred State on Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles led 15-6 at a time but the Pioneers rallied to cut it to 15-14 in the 7th but Elmira put the game out of reach with a six-run 9th inning.

The Eagles got on the board in the 2nd inning when they took advantage of two Pioneer errors and plated six runs. Pedro Mora (Washington Heights/AP Randolph) got the Pioneers with a RBI groundout in the 2nd.

Jansen Crossley connected on a RBI double and Eddie O'Donnell followed with a RBI single in the 3rd to make it 8-2. In the bottom half of the inning, David Zuber (Honeoye Falls Lima) hit a 2-RBI single, Cullen Franz (Cazenovia) stole home, Mora collected another RBI groundout, and Rafael Perozo (Bronx/St. Raymond) scored on a fielding error.

Elmira scored three more runs in the 5th and grew their lead to 15-6 with four runs in the 6th. Harrison Zambarano had a key two-run single in the 5th and a RBI single in the 6th to key the innings.

Perozo collected a RBI ground out in the 6th, Austin Baker (Canisteo Greenwood) had a two-RBI triple, and Mora grounded out to pick up his third RBI.

In the 7th as Red Jumpsuit Apparatus was performing at Pioneer Stadium, Franz and Thomas Shofi (Carmel) both scored on a fielding error, Baker hit a RBI groundout, and Mora singled down the left field line to score two to cut the lead to one, 15-14. The Pioneers had runners on the corners when the last out of the inning was recorded.

Neither team could get on the board in the 8th but Elmira put the game out of reach with a big 9th inning. 11 batters came to the plate and the Eagles scored six runs.

Franz was 2 for 4 while Zuber was 2 for 5 with 2 RBI. Mora was 1 for 4 with 5 RBI on the day. The Pioneers only collected seven hits but drew 13 walks.

Zambarano was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI while O'Donnell was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI. Fogarty was also key finishing 2 for 5 with 3 RBI. Corey DeMauro allowed just one hit in 1.2 innings of relief work (7th and 8th inning) and Nick Cottone struck out two in the 9th to close out the game.

Prior to the game, Joey Westwood from Red Jumpsuit Apparatus threw out the 1st pitch. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and A Boogie wit da Hoodie performed at the annual Hot Dog Week Concert at Pioneer Stadium this evening.

The Pioneers head to Wells on Wednesday evening for a 6:45 p.m. contest with the Express.