ITHACA, N.Y. -- The second-seeded softball team defeated seventh-seeded Penn State-Behrend 9-1 in five innings in the opening round of the NCAA Regional Championship, hosted by Ithaca College. Ithaca set new school records for runs scored (297) and stolen bases (102). The preivious record for runs scored was 291, set during the 2001 season, while the previous record of 98 stolen bases was set back in 1973.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the third when the Bombers (36-4) struck for four runs. Senior Stacey Bartels (Skyview/Vancouver, Wash.) drove in the first run of the game with a RBI single up the middle to score sophomore Jessica Stangarone (Brewster/Brewster) and later scored on a two-RBI single from sophomore Erica Cutspec (Fort Plain/Fort Plain), who also drove in junior Hannah Shalett (Shepaug Valley/Bridgewater, Conn.). Two batters later, junior Mel Chinigo (Norwich Free Academy/Norwich, Conn.) singled to right field to score Cutspec and close out the scoring in the inning.

The Lions (34-9) got on the board with a run in the top of the fifth, but the Bombers answered with five runs in the bottom half of the inning for the 9-1 final. The inning was capped off by senior Kaitlyn Dulac's (Bay View/East Greenwich, R.I.) three-run homer to left-center field, her third home run of the season.

Sophomore Carly Myers (Claremont Secondary/Victoria, B.C.) allowed just one run on four hits with three strikeouts as she improved to 17-2 on the season.

Ithaca, which is ranked fourth in the latest NFCA poll, will next face third-seeded Rensselaer on May 12 at 2 p.m. at Kostrinsky Field. The Red Hawks defeated sixth-seeded Elms 8-0 in their opening game of the tournament.

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