PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team has to play one more game in the Empire 8 Conference Championship after falling to St. John Fisher College, 5-2, on Saturday at Dugan Yard. The winner of tomorrow's 10 a.m. finale will be named Empire 8 champions.
Ithaca will bring a 26-15 record to Sunday's showdown, while Fisher is 34-10 overall.
The Bombers had a golden opportunity to break the game open in the first inning as they loaded the bases with no outs, but a strikeout and double play kept Ithaca from gaining an early lead.
Fisher scored the game's first run in the bottom of the third on a single through the right side. The Cardinals' lead-off batter reached on a single and stole second to move into scoring position to set up the run-scoring base hit.
The Cardinals put up three more runs in the fourth on a two-run triple and a sacrifice fly. An error started the frame for Fisher and then a single put two runners on to set up the triple to centerfield. Fisher's ensuing batter hit the sac fly to left field.
Ithaca got on the board in the fifth with a pair of runs on an error and sacrifice fly. Sophomore
Domenic Boresta scored on a throwing error on an attempted double play, and then junior
Josh Savacool brought in freshman
Adam Gallagher on the sac fly.
In the sixth, the Bombers had a chance to tie the game up with two runners in scoring position and two down, but a strikeout ended the threat.
Fisher extended its advantage to 5-2 in the eight with an RBI double for the final run of the contest.
In the ninth, Ithaca drew back-to-back walks with one out, but could not produce anything else, as a fly out and pop out ended the game.
Sophomore
Tyler Hill took the loss in 5.2 innings pitched. Hill gave up four runs (three earned) on seven hits, six walks and four strikeouts. Freshman
Andrew Bailey tossed the final 2.1 innings in relief and allowed one run on two hits.
Ithaca managed just three hits on the afternoon – Savacool, junior
Ryan Henchey and freshman
Sam Little – and hit into three double plays.
