Softball Game Preview: Elmira Express vs. Corning-Painted Post Hawks

Elmira is 1-9 against Corning-Painted Post since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Express will head out to square off against the Hawks at 4:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Elmira's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Friday, when they got past Owego Free Academy's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Express blew past the River Hawks 12-6.

Ava Cornacchio made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off eight hits. Cornacchio was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.

In other batting news, Elmira got a massive performance out of Addison Taft, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. That's the most hits Taft has posted since back in April of 2024. Madelynn Cavalier was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and three RBI.

Elmira kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive matches.

Corning-Painted Post never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Union-Endicott on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 15-2 margin over the Tigers.

Corning-Painted Post pushed their record up to 10-2 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.7 runs over those games. As for Elmira, the win got them back to even at 5-5.

Elmira suffered a grim 16-3 defeat to Corning-Painted Post in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Express avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.