Penn College baseball team faced a narrow defeat against Elmira in a nonconference game on Tuesday afternoon. The Wildcats’ record now stands at 5-7, while the Soaring Eagles improved to 5-6.
Elmira clinched the victory with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, breaking a 6-6 tie. They maintained their lead in the ninth inning to secure the win.
The game began with Elmira scoring four runs in the first inning. The Wildcats responded by scoring three runs in the second and another run in the fifth, leveling the score.
In the top of the second inning, Anthony Barbella walked and Jaydon Goebel singled before Kevin Cute drove Barbella home with a ground rule double. Jaiden Augustine continued his impressive performance with a two-run single that brought Goebel and Cute across home plate.
Griess contributed an RBI single in the fifth inning. Elmira then added two more runs during their turn at bat, but Penn College managed to score twice more in the eighth, resulting in a temporary tie at 6-6.
For Penn College, Griess, Augustine, Goebel, and Shawn Townsend each had two hits from their team’s total of 12. Augustine led with two RBIs while Goebel scored twice. Mason Balfanz pitched for three innings and achieved six strikeouts.
Looking ahead, Penn College will host Elmira again on Wednesday at 3 p.m., followed by United East doubleheader action against Penn State Abington on Saturday at noon.
