NEWARK, N.Y. – Elmira southpaw Kyano Cummings (Siena) guided the visiting Elmira Pioneers to a 6-1 victory over the Newark Pilots at Colburn Park Thursday night with a complete-game four-hitter.

The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s (PGCBL) strikeout leader added eight more without issuing a walk, giving him 72 in 51.1 innings. He gave up one unearned run en route to his third consecutive win.

Newark (16-26) starter Patrick Ryan (Iona) did not surrender a hit through the first three innings, but struggled with his command in the fourth as the Pioneers (28-15) struck for a pair of runs. Ryan walked the first two batters of the inning and an error by the Pilots filled the bases. Mike Korchak (Bucknell) drove in the first run of the contest with an RBI base hit. In the following at-bat, Josh Lovelady (Mississippi State) scored on a wild pitch.

After his offense gave him the lead, Cummings went 1-2-3 through the Newark order in the fourth, sixth, seventh and eighth innings.

With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Michael Lanza (Bryant) reached safely on an error by Elmira shortstop Taylor Hillson (Mansfield). Lanza advanced to second on a single by Will Gorman (RIT) and tagged up on a Corey Lerche (Central Connecticut State) flyout. Anthony Spina (Amherst) drove in the Pilots’ only run of the game with a perfectly-placed bunt single to the left of the pitcher’s mound, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Elmira added runs in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Newark’s only other hit of the night came in the bottom of the ninth inning. Cody Wiktorski (St. John Fisher) singled with one out, and reached third base in the ensuing at-bat after stealing second and moving up on an error by the Elmira catcher. Wiktorski, however, was stranded at third base as Cummings induced the final two outs of the game.

Ryan (2-4) was handed the loss after giving up three runs on three hits in six innings of work. He struck out a season-high seven batters but also walked a season-high six.

With eight games in the final week of the PGCBL regular season, the Pilots are still in contention to earn the final playoff berth in the West Division. They stand two games behind third-place Utica (18-24) and one game behind fourth-place Adirondack (17-24).

The Newark Pilots begin their push towards the postseason by hosting the Adirondack Trail Blazers in a doubleheader at Colburn Park on Friday, July 24. Game 1 is scheduled to begin at 5:05 p.m. Elmira hosts Utica on Friday at 7:05 p.m. at Dunn Field.