ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team defeated SUNY Brockport, 7-2, in a non-conference contest on Wednesday afternoon at Freeman Field. Ithaca has won seven straight games to run its record to 20-12 overall, which is the 40th time in program history that the Bombers have tallied 20 victories in a season, and the 34th under head coach
George Valesente.
In the top of the second inning, Brockport led off with back-to-back singles. An attempt to move the runners up on a sacrifice bunt backfired, as freshman
Adam Gallagher picked off the lead runner at second base on a throw down and then senior starting pitcher
Benji Parkes picked the runner off at first a pitch later.
The Bombers went up, 1-0, in the bottom of the second on a botched play at first base on a groundball from senior
John Stanley. Freshman
Matt Carey scored from second after he reached on a double.
Ithaca extended its lead to 2-0 on a solo homerun to left field off the bat of junior
Trevor Thompson to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning. It is Thompson's third round-tripper of the season.
After back-to-back walks Carey and Stanley prolonged the sixth, a wild pitch and throwing error allowed Carey to score, and then Gallagher singled in Stanley from second to give the Bombers a 4-0 advantage.
Brockport got on the board in the seventh with a one-out bases loaded walk. Another run came home on a single to right field, but freshman
Sam Little threw out a potential third run at the plate to end the inning.
Parkes pitched into the seventh, as his final line was 6.1 innings pitched, six hits, two runs (no earned), two walks and three strikeouts. He also picked off two runners in the game en route to his fifth victory of the season.
Senior Ryan Contengi recorded the final two outs of the seventh, one via a strikeout. Contegni earned his second save of the year in 2.2 innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts and two hits allowed.
The Bombers put up three runs in the eight to put the game out of reach, 7-2. A double by Carey and a walk to junior
Brennan McCormack set up a two-run triple from senior
Zach Cole down into the right field corner. Cole then scored on a suicide squeeze with senior
Cameron Oathout at the plate.
Carey went 2-for-3 in the game with two doubles, three runs scored and a stolen base. Oathout was 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI on the squeeze, while Cole drove in two runs as part of a 1-for-4 day.
The Bombers travel to St. John Fisher College this weekend for a crucial three-game series with the Cardinals on April 30-May 1.
