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UTICA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team will play for the first-ever Empire 8 Conference tournament championship on Saturday after defeating Utica on Friday, 9-4, in 10 innings. Ithaca used a five-run 10th to improve its record to 19-14 on the season. The Bombers will play Stevens Saturday morning at 10 a.m. at Utica's home field.

With the scored tied at 4-4 after nine innings of play, Ithaca batted around in the top of the 10th and scored five runs on the Pioneers to come away with the 9-4 victory. In the rally, senior Christian Brown led off with a single up the middle and came all the way around to score on an errant throw on a sacrifice bunt by senior Matt Connolly. Connolly made his way to third on the error and finished his trip around the bases on an RBI single by sophomore Josh Savacool. Sophomore Trevor Thompson gave the Bombers an 8-4 lead on a two-run double to right-center that brought home sophomore Ryan Henchey and Savacool, and the inning was capped off by an RBI triple off the bat of junior Zach Pidgeon to bring in Thompson.

Utica capitalized on a pair of walks in the bottom of the first inning and came away with a run on a single to right-center field to take an early 1-0 lead. A double play ended the inning on a line drive to right field and a throw to first base.

Ithaca turned another double play in the bottom of the second on a strikeout and caught stealing.

The Bombers took the lead in the top of the fourth with two runs on two hits and an error. Thompson reached on an error and moved to third on a single from Pidgeon. A groundout from junior Zach Cole drove in Thompson and then Pidgeon came home on a single off the pitcher by Connolly.

Utica regained the lead, 3-2, in the bottom half of the fourth on a two-run single to left-center. Ithaca committed an error with two outs to keep the inning alive, and then a wild pitch moved two runners into scoring position to set up the go-ahead base hit.

Pidgeon knotted the game back up at 3-3 for Ithaca in the top of the fifth with a line drive single to center field that plated senior Cooper Belyea, who reached on a hit by pitch.

The lead changed sides once again as Utica pushed one run across in the bottom of the sixth on a base hit to right.

In the top of the eighth, Brown led off with a walk and Connolly followed with a single. Freshman Domenic Boresta laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up and then junior pinch hitter Stephen Yanchus drove in Brown on a fielder's choice to tie the game at 4-4.

Junior Benji Parkes tossed 6.1 innings in a starting role for Ithaca and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits. Parkes also struck out four batters before freshman Tyler Hill replaced Parkes on the mound. Hill induced Ithaca's third double play of the game against the only batter he faced in the seventh.

Senior Jimmy Wagner picked up the win in three shutout innings. Wagner gave up just one hit and struck out three batters for his third victory of the season.

Pidgeon and Connolly both collected three hits for Ithaca, while Savacool picked up two hits. Pidgeon and Thompson led the offense with two RBI each.