HOUGHTON, NY— On the strength of two outstanding pitching performances, a little luck and an offensive explosion, the Houghton Highlanders picked up a pair of much-needed victories over the Elmira Soaring Eagles on Saturday afternoon, 4-3 and 14-6.
 
The Highlanders won the opener on a balk-off before riding 14 hits and six near-impeccable innings from reliever Trevor Ciccotti to the sweep.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Elmira – 3 | Houghton – 4
Game 2 Score: Elmira – 6 | Houghton – 14
Records: Elmira: 8-12-1 (4-3-1 Empire 8) | Houghton: 9-17 (2-6 Empire 8)
Venue: Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex, Houghton, NY | Attendance: 65/55
 
Game One:
With the game knotted at three runs apiece, Phil Schurr hit a pinch-hit, one-out single to centerfield in the bottom of the seventh inning for the Highlanders.  After Jeremey Wilcox pinch ran for Schurr, Jason Kauffeldt ripped a base hit to right, advancing Wilcox to third base. 
 
Kauffeldt swiped second and Dylan Boprey loaded the bases with walk.  As the Elmira reliever prepared to face Houghton slugger Zach Parr, he double-set, balking in the game-winning run.
 
Houghton manufactured their runs early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a Tony Bertolino sacrifice fly and a Sebastian Rodriguez double to left.
 
The Highlanders added another in the third when Kauffeldt walked, stole second, stole third, and scored on a single by Parr. 
 
Elmira chipped away with a run in the fourth, then two more in the fifth, taking advantage of some aggressive baserunning, scoring the final two runs without a base hit, but taking home on back-to-back pitches—a wild pitch and passed ball, neither of which moved more than 15 feet from the Houghton catcher.
 
The Soaring Eagles left a golden opportunity on the table in the top of the seventh when, with one out, Colin McGlaughlin stole second and took off for third as the throw from the Houghton catcher scooted into centerfield.  McGlaughlin slid into third ahead of the throw but came off the bag and Parr promptly tagged him out.  Houghton starter, Ethan Cetton, then induced a fly ball to right that what would have scored the go-ahead run, but instead ended the inning and set up the Houghton win.
 
Game Two:
The Houghton bats unleashed 14 base hits, including eight that went for extra bases, but story of the day belonged to Trevor Ciccotti.
 
The lanky right-hander entered the game for the Highlanders in the fourth inning with Elmira clinging to a 6-5 lead.  Over the next six innings Ciccotti would face only 20 Elmira batters—two over the minimum—throwing only 60 total pitches.  He allowed only two singles and did not walk a batter, while striking out five to earn the first win of his college career.
 
Elmira clicked early, thanks to a two-run homerun from Joe Morrone and a grand slam off the bat of Nick Lees.
 
But with Ciccotti dealing on the mound, Houghton plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth, all with two outs thanks to a triple by Parr, a single by Chris VanCheri, and a double from Cetton.
 
Houghton added another run in the fifth then pulled away in the fifth, plating five runs on three well-timed hits to up their lead to what would be the final score, 14-6.
 
KEY STATS:
>> Cetton tossed all seven innings in game one, allowing only five hits and two walks, while striking out three to earn his second win of the season.
 
>> Parr extended his hitting streak to 11 games, going 1-for-3 in the first and 2-for-5 with a triple in the second.  He has had at least one base hit in 23 of the Highlanders 26 games this season.
 
>> Kauffeldt finished 3-for-7 on the day with a triple, two walks and four stolen bases.  He is now 23-for-24 in stolen base attempts this season.
 
>> Davis Mcmillan also added three hits on the day for the Highlanders.

COACH'S CORNER:
"We needed these wins today.  After losing a pair of close games to Elmira yesterday, to have our guys come through like this was big.
 
"We put ourselves in a bit of a hole in the first game, but with a little luck and some timely hitting, we were able to pull it out.
 
"Ethan [Cetton] pitched very well and gave us the outing we needed to stay competitive. 
 
"[Zach] Parr has been an absolute beast at the plate, and Jason [Kauffeldt] continues to be a terror on the bases.
 
"I couldn't be happier for Trevor [Ciccotti], though.  He pitched a bit in the COVID-shortened 2020 season, then had to sit out all of last year due to an injury.  He's been working his way back, but today was the sharpest I've ever seen him.  He located all of his pitches and kept their hitters off balance all day.  It was incredibly impressive.
 
"In addition to his comeback, though, Trevor is from Reno, Nevada, and today was the first collegiate game his dad has ever seen him pitch in person.  It just completed the whole day for us." – Head Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
The Highlanders will continue Empire 8 conference play next week when they host Russell Sage College on Thursday at 2:00 p.m.