ITHACA, N.Y. -- The softball team (26-12) swept visiting Buffalo State (20-20) Sunday, winning 1-0 and 5-1. The Bombers were playing their final regular-season home games.
Junior Brittany Lillie (Honeoye Falls-Lima/Honeoye Falls) saved both ends of Sunday's sweep; she combined with junior Alison Greaney (John F. Kennedy/Iselin, N.J.) for a three-hit shutout in the opener and threw two innings of two-hit relief in game two.
In game one, Greaney allowed three hits over five innings and didn't allow a runner past second base. She struck out six and walked only one while improving to 11-1 on the season. Lillie threw two hitless innings in relief, striking out four, to pick up her first save of the season.
Ithaca needed just four batters to score the game's only run. Junior second baseman Kait Dolan (Victor/Farmington) led off with a double, hitting a ball just out of reach of the shortstop and hustling into second when no one covered the base. A one-out single by Lillie moved her to second and she scored on a base hit up the middle by junior Kerry Barger (Carmel/Carmel).
Barger and Dolan both had two of Ithaca's six hits.
In the nightcap, Ithaca took advantage of a pair of Bengal errors to jump out to a 3-0 first-inning lead. Dolan led off with a single and came all the way home when Buffalo State threw away a sacrifice bunt by senior first baseman Caitlin Ryan (Allentown/Clarksburg, N.J.). Lillie singled in Ryan then scored two batters later when freshman outfielder Molly O'Donnell (Niskayuna/Niskayuna) reached on an infield error.
O'Donnell scored Ithaca's fourth run on a pinch-hit single by junior Courtney Noster (Clearview/Lorain, Ohio) after singling to lead off the fifth and stealing second.
Ryan singled in Dolan – who'd singled and stolen second to lead off the sixth – for Ithaca's final run.
Senior Alyssa Brook (Monmouth Regional/Tinton Falls, N.J.) earned the win. She allowed four hits over five innings and struck out three.
Lillie entered in the sixth after Buffalo State's first two Bengals reached on an infield error and a walk. After inducing a ground ball to force the lead runner and striking out a batter, Lillie gave up a single that loaded the bases but got out of the inning on a fly ball to the outfield.
The Bombers honored their five seniors: Brook, Ryan, outfielder Alyssa Guzman (Newburgh Free Academy/Newburgh), pitcher Brooke Kithcart (Minisink Valley/Slate Hill) and catcher Katherine Wilson (Sparta/Sparta, N.J.), who were making their final regular-season appearance at Kostrinsky Field.
Ithaca wraps up its regular season Tuesday with a doubleheader at Oneonta.
Game one box score
Game two box score
