ITHACA, N.Y. – Wednesday's baseball game between Ithaca College (9-3-1) and Cortland (13-5-1), which was called because of darkness with the score tied 10-10 after eight innings, will not be resumed and has been declared a tie. The #7 Red Dragons blew a six-run seventh-inning lead as the #20 Bombers battered their bullpen for five seventh-inning runs and the tying run in the eighth.

Ithaca exploded for nine runs over the final four innings against a Cortland pitching staff that entered the game ranked in the top 10 nationally in three pitching categories (including ninth in ERA). The Bombers' five-run outburst in the seventh was sparked by a two-out, two-run single by senior shortstop Tim Locastro that cut Cortland's lead to a run. Senior second baseman Matt Keller and senior first baseman Teagen Barresi opened the inning with doubles and after a walk to sophomore third baseman Colby Gee, freshman Vinny Gneo singled in a run. A pinch-hit single by senior Jarrod Surine made him the fifth straight Bomber to get on base; the Red Dragons struck out two straight Bomber batters (with Gee scoring on a wild pitch during the sequence) before Locastro, who had three hits on the day, brought Ithaca to within a run.

After Gee reached on a fielder's choice in the eighth, Jeffrey Mathers pinch ran for him and stole second before scoring on Gneo's career-best third hit of the game.

Ithaca scored a single run in the fifth when Barresi beat out what would have been an inning-ending double play to bring home Locastro. An inning later Gneo doubled and freshman right fielder Luke Stark singled with both runners scoring when Cortland's shortstop dropped a pop-up that would have ended the inning.

Locastro and Gneo both had two runs batted in and two runs scored to go along with their three hits. Barresi added two hits and two runs driven in.

Ithaca's bullpen allowed just four hits over the final three innings. Freshman Jimmy Wagner gave up two earned runs in a 1.1-inning stint before junior Pat Lemmo, freshman Quinn Irwin and senior Tucker Healy combined to hold the Red Dragons scoreless the rest of the way.

The Bombers open Empire 8 play this weekend traveling to Stevens for three games.

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