ELMIRA, N.Y. — The Keuka College Softball team swept an Empire 8 doubleheader at Elmira College on Tuesday afternoon.

Keuka College (7-11, 7-11 Empire 8) won the opening game of the doubleheader 8-0 in five innings. The Wolves then needed extra innings to defeat the Soaring Eagles 8-4 in game two.

Keuka College 8 at Elmira College 0 (5 innings) – Game 1

The Green and Gold wasted no time as Abby Eising singled and Abby Kruse doubled with one out in the first. An Emily VanDelinder groundout scored Eising as the Wolves took a 1-0 lead.

Keuka College extended their lead in the third as a pair came home on an Elmira miscue to make it 3-0.

The Wolves put the game away in the fifth. Keuka scored five runs on five hits. VanDelinder had a two-run single. Jordan Cole brought one in with a single. Wolves then got runs on a Hayley Gorges groundout and a pinch-hit single by Ann Stull.

That would be more than enough support for starting pitcher Whitney Tyler. The senior allowed just three hits and struck out six as she kept the Soaring Eagles off the board. Keuka took home the 8-0 victory in five innings in game one.

Lead Wolf: Helena Hill had another strong game at the top of the order for the Wolves. Hill had a pair of hits, stole a base, and scored two runs in the win.

Keuka College 8 at Elmira College 4 (8 innings) – Game 2

The Wolves carried the momentum into game two. Back-to-back singles by Hill and Eising opened the game for Keuka. After moving up a base on a wild pitch, Abby Kruse plated Hill on a sacrifice fly and Emily VanDelinder sent Eising home with an RBI double to give Keuka a 2-0 lead.

The Soaring Eagles got one back in the bottom of the first and took the lead in the third with a pair of runs. Whitney Tyler entered the circle with a runner on third and one out in the third inning and stranded the runner to keep it a one-run game. That would pay dividends in the fourth as Tyler hit a double to advance Jordan Cole to third. Cole then scored on a groundout by Samantha Cook to tie the game at 3-3.

Elmira College stepped up and held Keuka off the board in the fifth. Danielle Bosch led off with a walk. Helena Hill followed that with a single that moved Bosch to third. After Hill stole second, the Wolves had runners at second and third with no outs. The Soaring Eagles would escape, however, with a flyout, line out, and groundout to keep the game tied at three.

The Soaring Eagles took advantage of a leadoff walk in the sixth to score a run and take a 4-3 lead, but the Wolves answered in the seventh. Helena Hill singled with one out. She moved up on a groundout and scored on a two-out RBI double by Abby Kruse. In the bottom of the inning, Elmira got a pair of runners on, but would not score as the game went to extra innings.

Keuka College struck with two outs in the eighth. It all started with a Jordyn Fargo pinch-hit walk. She then moved up on a single by Hayley Gorges. That started a run of four straight two-out hits for Keuka. Bosch singled and Fargo scored on an error. Hill then doubled to score Bosch and Gorges and she came home on an Abby Eising double to make it 8-4. That lead would hold as the Wolves defeated the Soaring Eagles in extra innings.

Lead Wolf: Helena Hill continued to set the table for the Keuka College offense. She went 4-5 at the plate with three runs scored and two runs batted in. The four hits set a new career-high for the sophomore.  

KC Notes:

• The Wolves improved to 9-19 all-time against Elmira College
• Whitney Tyler threw her eighth shutout of her career in game one. The senior now has eight in her career, tying Jen Shaughnessy for third on the Keuka College career list
• It was also the second time this season the Whitney Tyler has blanked the Soaring Eagles. Tyler and Keuka shutout Elmira College 4-0 in the Wolves' season-opening 4-0 victory
• The double by Tyler in game two was her first at-bat of the season
• With nine strikeouts on the day, Whitney Tyler passed Colleen Mooney for third on the Keuka College career strikeout list
• The Wolves have won two straight extra-inning games

Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves will conclude the regular season at home on Saturday afternoon. Keuka College hosts Nazareth College in an Empire 8 doubleheader on May 1 with first pitch set for 1pm. It will be the first time that Keuka has faced the Golden Flyers since the 2010 season.