NORFOLK, Va. – A seven-run third inning by Virginia Wesleyan College was too much to overcome for the Ithaca College baseball team, as the Bombers fell on the road, 12-9, Sunday afternoon at Kenneth R. Perry Field. Ithaca is now 1-2 early on in 2017, while Virginia Wesleyan improves to 4-4, despite committing seven errors in the contest.

The Bombers plated the first run of the game on an RBI single from sophomore Garrett Snyder with senior Ryan Henchey in scoring position in the top of the second inning. Henchey led off the inning with a base hit and advanced to second on another hit from sophomore Matt Carey.

Virginia Wesleyan answered in the bottom half of the second with a two-run homerun to take a 2-1 lead, but Ithaca knotted things up in the third as senior Josh Savacool scored on a wild pitch.

Savacool led off the frame with a base hit and then sophomore Andrew Bailey followed with a single, which allowed Savacool to reach third to set up the game-tying run.

The Marlins broke the game open in the bottom of the third with seven runs on five hits, three walks and a hit by pitch to make the score 9-2.

Ithaca attempted to battle back with three runs in the fourth on a two-run double by sophomore John Peterson and an RBI single from senior Trevor Thompson. Snyder and junior Domenic Boresta came home on the Peterson double, and then Peterson scampered home on Thompson's hit to cut Ithaca's deficit to 9-5.

Virginia Wesleyan got a run back in the bottom of the fourth, and then the Bombers answered with one of their own in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Adam Gallagher drove in Thompson with two outs after Thompson found his way on third with a three-base error.

The Bombers pulled to within a run, 10-9, in the top of the seventh, as Virginia Wesleyan committed four errors, which allowed Ithaca to push home three runs. After a double by senior Ryan Dougherty and a single by Snyder, a failed pick off brought in Dougherty. Snyder moved up to third on a foul out and scored on an infield error. A catcher's interference kept the inning alive and then the Marlins committed another miscue to allow Bailey to cross the dish.

Ithaca's deficit was too much to overcome, however, as Virginia Wesleyan plated a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to secure the win.

Bailey (2-for-6), Thompson (2-for-4) and Snyder (2-for-4) all produced multi-hit games. Eight different Bombers scored a run in the contest as they pounded out 12 hits, including three doubles.

On the mound, junior Robby Buffis took the loss in 2.1 innings pitched. Buffis allowed eight runs on six hits with four strikeouts. Senior Logan Barer, junior Chris Marinaccio, Bailey and freshman Tom Cosentino combined the throw the other 6.2 innings.

Ithaca will head down to Long Island next weekend for three games. The Bombers take on St. Joseph's – Long Island at 11 a.m. on March 4 and then square off with Skidmore College at 2 p.m. The road trip concludes with another game against St. Joseph's at 10 a.m. on the 5th.