Steamers fall short of NYCBL West title, Pios bested by Auburn

HORNELL, N.Y. (WETM) – The Hornell Steamers’ impressive season has ended, while the Elmira Pioneers fell on the road.

(Media Courtesy: Peish Sports, Auburn Doubledays YouTube)

The Dansville Gliders pulled off a Thursday sweep of the Steamers, to capture the NYCBL West title, and a league championship ticket. The Gliders opened the day trailing the semifinal series 1-0, before a 4-run, 8th inning rally earned them the Game 2 victory.

Dansville’s 5-3 afternoon win forced a decisive Game 3 in Hornell, which was largely dominated by the Gliders. The 3rd seeded Gliders plated 9 runs through 5 innings, before the Steamers would respond.

Jackson Legg and Brody Langlotz broke up the shutout bid, each delivering RBI for Hornell, but their opponents would erase the 3 runs in the following frame. The NYCBL’s top seed responded with 2 additional, 3 run innings, but ultimately fell 14-9.

Hornell finishes their 2024 campaign with a league best (30-9-1) record. Prior to the pair of Thursday games, the Steamers had rattled off 17 consecutive victories.

Dansville, who also eliminated the Horseheads Hitmen, will now head to the NYCBL Championship, against the Syracuse Salt Cats.

In the PGCBL, the Elmira Pioneers fell to Auburn for the 2nd time this week. Once again, Elmira threatened in the 9th inning, but came up short by same 4-3 score as Tuesday’s game. Andy Schroeder and Wellsboro’s Darryn Callahan handled the early scoring for the Pios, before Patrick Ward stole home in the 9th. The Doubledays’ late error placed Elmira 90 feet from a tie, but Ethan Fulton picked up the game winning strikeout.

Despite the loss, Elmira officially locked up a PGCBL Playoff spot for the 3rd straight season. With their postseason hopes secure, the Pioneers will look to chase down Auburn for the division’s 2nd seed. The Pios head to Geneva on Friday, for their 3rd to last regular season game. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WETM - MyTwinTiers.com.