ITHACA, N.Y. -- The softball team (27-16) dropped a 1-0 decision in eight innings to the St. John Fisher Cardinals (30-10) in the Empire 8 Championship Tournament final. The Bombers had won three consecutive games in the loser's bracket to force a second game with the Cardinals in the double elimination format.

The top-seeded Bombers eliminated fourth-seeded Rochester Institute of Technology (19-17) with a 4-1 victory in game five of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. The Bombers prevented a repeat scoreless marathon with the Tigers in consecutive days by scoring two runs to open the game in the top of the first inning. (RIT beat Ithaca 1-0 in 16 innings during Friday's competitions).

Freshman Annmarie Forenza (Hunterdon Central/Whitehouse Station, N.J.) led off the contest with a single to left field. Junior Caitlin Ryan (Allentown/Clarksburg, N.J.) reached base in the next at-bat via a hit-by-pitch. Forenza later scored on a sacrifice hit by sophomore #Brittany Lillie# (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Honeoye Falls). Ryan scored from third base two at-bats later on a dropped fly by the catcher with two outs.

In the sixth, Ithaca added two insurance runs to its 2-1 lead. Junior Regina Douglas (James Caldwell/West Caldwell, N.J.) led off the inning with a single through the left side. Classmate Alyssa Guzman (Newburgh Free Academy/Newburgh) reached base two at-bats later on an error. The two later scored on a single to right-center field by sophomore #Courtney Noster# (Clearview/Lorain, Ohio).

Junior Alyssa Brook (Monmouth Regional/Tinton Falls, N.J.) won her second consecutive elimination game and improved to 16-11 on the season. She allowed just four hits in the complete-game performance and registered nine strikeouts.

The Bombers then beat St. John Fisher in game six of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. The win marked the team's third consecutive win in the tournament. Ithaca's 2-1 win forced a game seven in the double-elimination format.

Ithaca scored the first run of game six in the bottom of the fourth inning on a single by sophomore Kerry Barger (Carmel/Carmel) that drove in Ryan, who had reached base on a single through the right side.

In the fifth, Guzman led off the inning with a single up the middle and later scored on an RBI single by Forenza.

Ithaca led 2-0 heading into the seventh inning. Brook came in to pitch and relieved Lillie who had tossed six innings of five-hit ball. Brook worked out of a jam by getting a ground-ball to put out the lead runner at third base. The next batter singled to left field which loaded the bases. Brook managed to get a fly ball in the next at-bat that scored the runner from third who was tagging on the play. Brook struck out the next batter and picked up the save.

Lillie earned the winning decision and improved to 9-3 on the season.

In the Empire 8 final, the Bombers dropped a 1-0 decision in eight innings to the Cardinals. The two teams battled to break a scoreless tie through seven innings of play.

The Bombers put together back-to-back hits by Forenza and freshman Tricia Santelli (Newark/Newark) in the top half of the eighth inning with one out. Ryan popped out to shortstop in the next at-bat and Lillie made the third out of the inning on a ground ball to the shortstop who took the last out unassisted at second base.

In the bottom half of the inning, the Cardinals also had back-to-back runners reach base with one out. In the next at-bat, St. John Fisher scored the winning run on a single to right field.  

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