HOUGHTON, NY— Victor Cavalieri set a new Houghton Highlander single-season strikeout record as he fanned 11 batters in six innings and Houghton swept both ends of a doubleheader with the Elmira Soaring Eagles, 4-1 and 15-6.
 
The Highlanders completed a three-game sweep of the Soaring Eagles to move into a tie with the Ithaca Bombers for third place in the Empire 8 standings.
 
Game 1: Needing only two strikeouts to tie Seth Cornell's single-season mark of 73, Cavalieri went to work quickly.  He recorded the final out in the first via strikeout then fanned the leadoff man in the top of the second.  With two outs and a runner on first, Cavalieri recorded the final out of the inning himself to set the new mark.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the first, Taylor Huntsman set the wheels in motion, roping his 14^th double of the season to left field.  Back-to-back singles by Tage Johnson and Ethan Duryea, followed by a walk to John Zamites gave the Highlanders a 1-0 lead before Ben Closson ripped a bases-clearing double into left-center to put Houghton up by four.
 
The four runs would be all the cushion Cavalieri would need as he recorded his fifth consecutive start with at least 11 strikeouts, allowing only one run over six innings to record his fourth win of the season.
 
Caleb Philips logged a perfect seventh inning to earn his third save of the season.
 
Game 2: Following Cavalieri's gem, Holden Deres did his best to imitate his older teammate.  Deres allowed only one run on four hits over seven innings to pick up his third win of the season as the Highlanders rolled to a 15-6 victory.
 
Houghton picked up a pair of unearned runs in the first before Jeremy Newswanger drove home David Wessells with an RBI base hit in the second to put the Highlanders up 3-0.
 
Closson added two more Houghton runs in the fifth, singling just over the outstretched arms of the Elmira second baseman.
 
After Elmira got a run back in the sixth, Houghton opened the floodgates over their final two frames, scoring four in the seventh and six in the eighth to go up 15-1. 
 
The Soaring Eagles valiantly put up five runs in the top of the ninth, but it was too little, too late as Houghton picked up the victory.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Elmira – 1 | Houghton - 4
Game 2 Score: Elmira – 6 | Houghton – 15
Records: Elmira: 3-23 (2-12 Empire 8) | Houghton: 14-12 (7-6 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton College | Attendance: 103/98
 
KEY STATS:
>>  Cavalieri has now struck out 82 batters in 47 innings (15.7 strikeouts per nine innings), which leads the NCAA.  He needs only 14 more strikeouts to tie Cornell's career mark of 207.
 
>> Newswanger and Zamites both recorded three hits in the second game while Duryea, Closson and Tage Johnson all picked up three hits apiece over the doubleheader.
 
>> The Highlanders 16 hits in the second game marked the 13^th time they have posted at least 10 hits in a contest, and the seventh time they have collected at least 15.  They currently boast a conference-best .324 batting average.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"We got a pair of quality starts from Vic [Cavalieri] and Holden [Deres] today.  They pounded the zone, changed speeds and worked quickly, and it paid off for them.
 
"We had timely hitting and good defense when we needed it.  The double-play that Jeremy [Newswanger], Nick [Melchiore] and Tage [Johnson] turned in the second game doesn't get much better.
 
"I'm proud of the relaxed, yet relentless attitude our guys displayed today.  We really needed both wins to put ourselves into a good playoff position and they approached every inning with the right mindset.
 
"It was also great to see guys like Jared Couch and Colin Kloc come off the bench to pick up big base hits in game two.  It was a good day.  We'll enjoy it then get right back to work on Monday." –Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders travel to Ithaca to take on the Bombers in a rescheduled doubleheader on Monday afternoon starting at 2:00 p.m.