ITHACA, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked Ithaca College softball team continued to roll through Empire 8 play on Saturday as the Bombers swept the Alfred Saxons.  Ithaca, which has now won four straight and 11 of its last 12 games, moved to 20-6 overall and remained unbeaten in conference play at 8-0.  Alfred falls to 14-10 overall and evened its conference record at 5-5.

ITHACA 4, ALFRED 1

Ithaca got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning after lining two base hits.  Allie Colleran got things started for the Bombers after drawing a lead-off walk before being driven in with an RBI-single by Vanessa Brown to stake Ithaca to a 1-0 lead.

Alfred would even the contest at one run apiece in the top of the third with an RBI-single up the middle, but Ithaca would respond in a big way after scoring three runs in the bottom of the frame to hold a 4-1 edge.

After Nikkey Skuraton reached base on a Saxons' error, Brown smacked a double to set the Bombers up with runners on second and third with no outs.  Two batters later, Alex Wright reached on a fielder's choice allowing Skuraton to cross home plate before senior Casey Gavin drove in Brown with a single to the right side to make it 3-1.  Up two runs with two on, Hannah Anderson singled through the left side plating Gavin in the process to put the Bombers up by three runs, 4-1, heading into the fourth.

After three straight scoreless innings, Alfred was down to its final three outs in the top of the seventh and would load the bases after back-to-back errors by Ithaca's infield, but senior Pitcher Laura Quicker would induce a lineout double play before striking out the final batter to preserve the win.

Quicker, who won her 10th game of the season, tossed her seventh complete game of the season and allowed just one run on three hits.  She struck out four in the win.
In all, Ithaca collected eight hits led by Brown who went 4-for-4 at the plate with a double, an RBI and one run scored.

ITHACA 4, ALFRED 1

The Bombers off to another strong start after lining three singles in the bottom of the first inning  with Gavin and Wright each driving in a run to give Ithaca a 2-0 lead after one inning of play.

Head coach Deb Pallozzi's squad would double its lead in the third inning with three more hits.  After a quick out, the Saxons would give up back-to-back hits as Skuraton roped a double before moving to third base on a single by Brown.  The Bombers scored their third run as Skuraton sprinted home on a groundball off Gavin's bat.  Two hitters later, Kelly Robichaud lifted a sacrifice fly to left field that plated Brown to make it 4-0 in Ithaca's favor.

Alfred would get on the board in the sixth inning after a pair of hits, but failed to get anything going in the seventh inning as the Bombers completed the sweep, 4-1.

Allison Macari pitched her sixth complete game of the season and earned her fifth win as a result (5-3).  The senior allowed just one run on eight hits and struck out six overall.  Macari has allowed just two runs in her last 13.0 innings of work.

No. 21 Ithaca is back at it at 3 p.m. on Monday when it faces Elmira College on the road in an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader.