COLUMBUS, Ga. – The Ithaca College softball team picked up a hard-fought win over Piedmont College in the semifinal round of the National Fast Pitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic on Sunday in Columbus, Ga. before falling to Illinois Wesleyan in the Bronze Bracket championship game, 6-3.  The split evens Ithaca's season mark at 3-3.

Ithaca 3, Piedmont 1

After playing four scoreless innings, the Lions struck first, scoring their lone run of the game after a a lead-off single came around to score on an infield error by the Bombers.  Ithaca would answer in the bottom half of the fifth inning, however, when Hannah Anderson lifted a shot that cleared the left field fence to tie the game at one run apiece.

Ithaca would get out of the top of the sixth without any problems and took the lead for good in the home half of the inning on two hits.  Senior Kelly Robichaud poked a double to shallow center field and would come around to score when Hannah Peters launched a deep homer to left center to stake Ithaca to a 3-1 win.

Laura Quicker pitched four innings of relief to pick up her second win of the season after holding the Lions to one run on three hits.  Haley Congdon started in the circle for Ithaca and tossed three scoreless innings.

Peters went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBI and a run scored.  Robichaud, Anderson and Casey Gavin each collected one hit in the win.

Illinois Wesleyan 6, Ithaca 3

The Titans put a three spot on the board in the third inning after belting three hits including an RBI-single and a sacrifice fly to hold a 3-0 edge over the Bombers.

Ithaca would get one back in the home half of the third after Allie Colleran led off with a single and advanced around the bases on an RBI-double off the bat of Emily Bloom to make it 3-1.

Illinois Wesleyan pushed its lead back to three runs in the top of the fourth after picking up two more hits, but the Bombers would close the gap in the bottom of the frame.  Peters led off with a double to deep center field and would score as the next hitter, Alex Wright, replaced her at second with an RBI-double of her own and would eventually come around to score after a passed ball to bring Ithaca to within one run, 4-3.

After a scoreless fifth inning, the Titans would plate three more runs on the strength of two hits to take a 6-3 lead before setting the Bombers down in order in the sixth and seventh innings to take the game and the bracket.

Allison Macari started in the circle for Ithaca and took the loss moving her season mark to 1-1 overall.  The senior tossed six innings and allowed six runs (two earned) before being relieved by Quicker who pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

The Bombers are back in action at 1 p.m. on Wednesday against Wheaton College (Mass.) in Clermont, Fla. followed by a 3 p.m. showdown against MCLA.