ITHACA, N.Y. -- The softball team (20-10, 9-1 Empire 8) swept the visiting Elmira Soaring Eagles (11-9, 1-9 E8) on Sunday, winning game one 8-2 and the nightcap 5-2. The Bombers have now won 27 straight over Elmira and are 40-2 all-time against the Soaring Eagles. Ithaca can capture the Empire 8 regular-season title and the right to host the Empire 8 Championship Tournament with a win in either game at Alfred on Friday.
Junior pitcher Alyssa Brook (Monmouth Regional/Tinton Falls, N.J.) earned the winning decision in both games and improved to 12-8 on the season. Brook pitched 4 and 2/3 innings in game one and struck out 11 of the 14 batters she retired. She tossed a complete game in the nightcap and fanned six more batters to give her a total of 17 for the day.
Freshman Annmarie Forenza (Hunterdon Central/Whitehouse Station, N.J.) went 6-for-8 for the second straight day, giving her hitting totals of 12-for-16 in Ithaca's four wins this weekend. Forenza went 4-for-4 in game one, and then led off the second game with a home run. Junior Regina Douglas (James Caldwell/West Caldwell, N.J.) and sophomore Allison Greaney (John F. Kennedy/Iselin, N.J.) added multi-hit performances in game one, going 3-for-3 and 2-for-4, respectively.
In game one, the Bombers recorded 16 hits and scored in every inning but the fourth to put together an 8-2 victory. The Soaring Eagles jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but Ithaca responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning on a two-run homer by junior Caitlin Ryan (Allentown/Clarksburg, N.J.).
Brook came in to pitch in the third inning and held Elmira to just two hits for the rest of the contest. Ithaca built its lead to 4-2 after three innings of play and then added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to secure the win.
In the fifth, Douglas led off the inning with a single up the middle. Junior Alyssa Guzman (Newburgh Free Academy/Newburgh) followed with a bunt single to reach base. The two later scored on a two-out single by Forenza up the middle.
In the sixth, sophomore Brittany Lillie (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Honeoye Falls) opened up the inning with a double down the left-field line. Greaney then singled through the left side to score Lillie. Guzman punched an RBI single through to center field to score Greaney later in the inning.
Forenza and Douglas accounted for seven of the team's 16 hits in game one.
In the nightcap, the Bombers extended their 3-2 lead with an insurance run in the fifth and sixth inning to give them the 5-2 edge. The two squads traded runs in the first inning and were tied at 1-1 until the top of the third.
Forenza followed her solo home run in the first inning with a single down the right-field line to start the top of the third. Two batters later, Lillie singled to right center. Sophomore Kerry Barger (Carmel/Carmel) then singled to right field which scored Ryan, who had reached base on a fielder's choice. Greaney followed with a double that drove in Lillie on the play.
Ithaca led the game 3-2 until the top of the fifth inning when Ryan blasted her third home run of the season to lead off the inning. The Bombers added their final run of the game in the sixth on a groundout by Lillie that drove in freshman Julianna Van Meter (Rome Free Academy/Rome).
The Bombers return to Kostrinsky field on Tuesday to play a doubleheader against Oneonta at 3 p.m.
Game one box score
Game two box score
