ELMIRA * A few minutes before the first pitch, Glens Falls pitchers Brian Moran and Tommy Meagher trekked to the top of Dunn Field to take in the view: the Chemung River rolling behind the left field fence, the Allegheny Foothills rising beyond right field.

Nice, they agreed. That was the last time all night they’d like what they saw.

Elmira pounded the Eagles 14-4 in the first game of the New York Collegiate Baseball League Championship Series. The Eagles are back where they’ve been in each of their first two playoff series: on the verge of going home for good. The Eagles have lost the first game in each round. The best-of-three series concludes today at East Field with a scheduled doubleheader at 4 p.m. The Eagles (38-8) must win to force a deciding game at 7 p.m. Elmira has not lost in the playoffs.

The Eagles have not lost consecutive games all season. Mike Wannamaker and Tommy Meagher are scheduled to start today for Glens Falls.

“We think we’re the best team in the league and that we’ve played the best all season,” Mayotte said, when asked if his team’s previous comeback experience would help today.

“What you saw tonight was a result of us being out of pitching,” Mayotte added.

The Golden Eagles had only two pitchers available as they played their sixth game in as many nights, which included a 13-inning affair on Friday.

So when the Western Division champions touched starter Barry Keiffer (4-4), who has now lost his last four decisions, for four runs on five hits in the first, there were no arms for Mayotte to call on.

The big blow came on a two-run, two-out double just over the head of a running Mike Konstanty in left. Elmira (30-16) batted around and left the bases loaded. They added three more in the fifth on a bases-loaded double by Andre Licinsky.

Justin Latta replaced Keiffer.

“They did a great job sucking it up so we would have fresh arms to use (today),” Mayotte said of Keiffer and Latta.

Elmira ace Shane Wolf (5-0) held the Eagles to five hits in seven innings, striking out seven. Glens Falls loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth, but Rick Seltzer popped out.

and Rian Spanjer-Furstenburg grounded into a double play.

The Eagles broke the shutout with three runs in the eighth on RBI doubles by Kevin Mahoney and Rick Seltzer.

“I told them to just forget about this game,” Mayotte said. “Just let it go. Don’t think about it, don’t talk about it.”

Notes: There hasn’t been a homerun at Dunn Field this season. Mahoney came close in the eighth, doubling off the wall…The announced attendance was 1,425...The 14 runs were the most the Pioneers scored all season…Former Adirondack Ice Hawk Frank Littlejohn was a part of a group of Elmira Jackals who sang Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch.

Glens Falls (38-8) 000 000 031-- 4 11 2

Elmira (30-16) 401 031 23x-- 14 14 0

WP: Wolf (5-0). LP -- Keiffer (4-4). 2B-Cahill, Lecinsky, Mahoney, Shaffer, Wells.