COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Ithaca College softball team opened its season on Friday at the National Fast pitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. as the Bombers, who are one of 24 teams to be invited to the tournament, fell to nationally-ranked East Texas Baptist University before rebounding with a 3-0 win over Eastern Connecticut State University in the nightcap. 

East Texas Baptist 6, Ithaca 1

After a scoreless top of the first inning, the Bombers found themselves in a five-run hole after the first inning as the Tigers, who entered the game ranked seventh nationally, plated five runs on three hits and a pair of Ithaca errors.  East Texas Baptist led off the game with consecutive hits including an RBI-double before plating four more runs to take a 5-0 lead into the second frame.  

 The score would remain 5-0 until the top of the fourth when Kelly Robichaud smacked a solo homerun to bring Ithaca within four runs before the Tigers could close out the inning.

After a scoreless fifth, Robichaud led off the top of the sixth with a single to left before being lifted for a pinch runner.  Alex Wright stepped to the dish and advanced the runner to third after singling to left and advancing to second on an effort by the Tigers' leftfielder.  After a groundout to third base, Hannah Peters would draw a walk to load the bases for the Bombers with just one out, but the Tigers would escape the inning without surrendering a run after earning the inning's final two outs via strikes to keep the score at 5-1. 

East Texas Baptist would add an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth after a lead-off triple came around to score on an infield singles and would record three straight outs in the bottom of the seventh to earn the win, 6-1.

Laura Quicker was saddled with the loss after going two-thirds of an inning and allowing five runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks.  Haley Congdon tossed 5.1 innings in relief and allowed one run on five hits.

Allie Colleran went 2-for-4 in the loss while Robichaud and Wright each went 2-for 3.

Ithaca 3, Eastern Conn. St. 0

The Bombers got on the board in the second inning after Emily Bloom doubled to right field and came around to score on an RBI groundout from Hannah Anderson.

Ithaca struck again in the third as Casey Gavin walked and eventually came around to score on an error by the Warriors' right fielder to make it 2-0 in Ithaca's favor.  The Bombers would add another run when Vanessa Brown, who singled earlier in the frame, crossed home plate after Robichaud groundout out to third to make it a three-run game.

In the seventh, the Warriors put a runner on first after an Ithaca error, but two quick outs ended any threat and staked Ithaca to its first win of the season.  

Allison Macari tossed a complete game shutout for the Bombers to pick up her first win of the season.  She struck out eight over seven innings and gave up only four hits.

Ithaca returns to the diamond at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow when it takes on Trine University on the second day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus.