ITHACA, N.Y. -- The softball team (35-4), ranked second nationally, swept three games at the Empire 8 Championship Tournament to claim the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs. The Bombers have won five-consecutive Empire 8 titles.

Ithaca's all-time Empire 8 championships

The Bombers beat Utica 13-0 in five innings in Saturday's final round. The game was scoreless until the fourth inning when they plated three runs. They added another 10 runs in the fifth, sending 15 batters to the plate and pounding out eight hits. Senior Stacey Bartels (Skyview/Vancouver, Wash.) went 1-for-3 and drove in three runs, giving her a total of seven for the tournament, an Empire 8 Championship Tournament record. Sophomore Jessica Stangarone (Brewster/Brewster) went 3-for-3 with 2 runs scored. Senior Kaitlyn Dulac (Bay View/East Greenwich, R.I.) hit a two-run double off the wall in left field in the fifth inning.

Sophomore Nicole Cade (Beaverton/Portland, Ore.) gave up one hit and struck out six for the win. She is now 18-2 on the season, matching the program's eighth-highest singles-season win total.

The Bombers are now 35-4 on the season, two wins shy of the school record set by the 2002 national championship team. NCAA playoff pairings and regional sites will be announced Monday morning.

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