ALFRED, N.Y. – Ithaca's bats came alive against the Saxons, sweeping the doubleheader 14-5 and 9-1 in six innings. With the two wins, the Bombers sit in alone first place in the Empire 8.
 
Ithaca totaled 32 hits between the two games, led by sophomores Alex Wright and Vanessa Brown who finished with six hits apiece, while junior Allie Colleran finished the day with seven RBI.
 
Game 1
The Bombers fought back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Saxons 14-5 in the first game. Ithaca recorded a season-high seven doubles in the game.
 
Alfred struck first after forcing Ithaca into a three-and-out to start the game. The Saxons pushed three runs across in the bottom of the first inning to take the early lead. Liz Thompson started the frame with a single, then stole second to give the Saxons their first runner in scoring position with no outs. Sophomore Haley Congdon struck out the next batter, but Dominique D'Andrea singled during the next at bat to put runners on the corners. Haley Powers came up to the plate and smoked a triple, scoring both Thompson and D'Andrea.
 
Alfred's Sophia Chiavatti singled during the next at bat, scoring Powers from third, giving the Saxons a 3-0 lead. The Bomber defense was able to retire the next two batters to end the frame.
 
Wright doubled to start off the top of the second for Ithaca, but Alfred pitcher Kerri Keeley forced two groundouts and a strikeout to end the frame.
 
After a leadoff walk, bunt and another Thompson single and steal, the Bombers escaped runners on second and third with one out, forcing a groundout and a pop out to end the inning.
 
The Bombers once again started out the frame with a leadoff double, this time from sophomore Annie Cooney. Classmate Nikkey Skuraton was hit by a pitch during the next at bat, giving Ithaca two baserunners with no outs. Colleran came up in a big way during the next at bat, blasting a three-run homerun to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the third.
 
Senior Jessie Fleck kept the inning going after getting hit by a pitch, but was forced out at second on a Brown fielder's choice. Brown stole second on the next play, allowing her to score on Wright's second double of the game, giving Ithaca a 4-3 lead with one down. The Saxons forced two groundouts to end the frame with no more damage done.
 
Alfred pushed two runs across in the bottom of the third inning, taking a 5-3 lead. Powers reached base on an error to kick off the frame and advanced to second on a passed ball. Chiavatti singled to give the Saxons runners on first and second with no outs. Both runners advanced 60 feet on a Hannah Lawrence groundout.
 
Jillian Murray singled during the next at bat, scoring Powers to close Ithaca's lead to 5-4. Becca Alexander followed up with a single of her own, scoring Chiavatti to knot the game at 5 apiece. Ithaca switched pitchers after the single, bringing freshman Emily Holden into the game for Congdon. Holden forced a strikeout to end the frame.
 
Holden kicked off the top of the fourth inning with walk, but was forced out on a Cooney fielder's choice. Cooney advanced twice during the next at bat on passed balls, giving the Bombers a runner on third with one down. Alfred forced a Bomber strikeout on the next play, but Colleran came up to the plate and notched her fourth RBI of the game with a single.
 
Fleck walked during the next at bat, giving Ithaca runners on second and third with two down in the frame. Back-to-back doubles by Brown and Wright gave Ithaca a 8-5 lead and forced an Alfred pitching change. Murray forced a fly out to end the frame, but not before Ithaca garnered a four-run lead.  
 
The fifth inning saw no offense for either squad, with Ithaca recording the only baserunner of the frame.
 
The Bombers added three more runs in the sixth inning, taking an 11-5 lead over the Saxons. Colleran singled to start the inning and advanced to third on an on an error by the centerfielder. Fleck reached base on an infield single, giving Ithaca runners on the corners with no outs. Brown recorded her second double of the day, scoring both Colleran and Fleck to give Ithaca a 10-5 advantage.
 
Brown moved 60 feet on a groundout by Wright and was able to score on a Hannah Peters sacrifice fly.
 
Ithaca added another three runs in the top of the seventh to secure the 14-5 victory over the Saxons. Cooney doubled with one down in the inning and advanced to third on a Skuraton single. Senior Gabbie Litz got her name in the RBI column, singling to score both Cooney and Skuraton to give the Bombers a 13-5 lead. Wright tallied her fourth hit of the day later in the inning, scoring Litz to give Ithaca its final run of the game.
 
The Bombers collected 15 hits, including a 4-for-5 performance by Wright. The sophomore pitched in three RBI as well. Colleran and Brown each notched three hits and four RBI to help Ithaca pick up its sixth Empire 8 win of the season.
 
Holden earned the win for Ithaca, moving her record to 5-1 on the year. She allowed one hit in 4.2 innings.
 
Game 2
Ithaca's bats proved to be too much for the Saxons, with the Bombers recording 17 hits in six innings.
 
Both squads recorded a double with two outs in the first inning, with Brown notching one for Ithaca and D'Andrea adding one of her own, but both teams left them stranded to keep the game at 0-0.
 
Freshman Shannon Grage doubled with one out in the second inning, but was tagged out at home when she tried to score from second on a Holden single, ending the frame. The Bombers forced Alfred to go three-and-out in the bottom of the second.
 
Ithaca pushed two runs across in the top of the third inning thanks to RBI singles by Brown and Wright. With two outs, Fleck singled and stole second to get the momentum in favor of the Bombers. Brown stepped up to the plate, singling to the outfield grass, allowing Fleck to score, which gave Ithaca a 1-0 lead. Just like Fleck, Brown stole second and was able to move up two bases to score on Wright's single, giving the Bombers the 2-0 advantage over the Saxons.
 
Alfred cut Ithaca's lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the third inning, but the Bomber defense stepped up to ensure no other runs would cross the plate. Alexander kicked off the inning with a single and scored on an Amanda Shaffer double, putting the Saxons on the board. The Bomber defense forced groundouts to end the frame with their lead still intact.  
 
Ithaca strung together two singles in the top of the fourth by sophomore Ellie Murray and Holden to give the Bombers runners on the corners with one out. Skuraton walked during her at bat, loading the bases for Colleran. The junior smoke a line drive to left field which was caught, but it allowed Murray to score from third, giving the Bombers a 3-1 lead.
 
Fleck continued the hits for Ithaca, loading the bases up again in the fourth, but the Saxons caught Skuraton at third to end the inning.
 
Ithaca walked two Saxons in the bottom of the fourth and allowed a single by Alexander, which loaded the bases, but got out of the jam with Shaffer fielder's choice, forcing Chiavatti out at third.  
 
With one out in the fifth inning, Wright reached base on an error by the left fielder and advanced to second on the throw. Cooney singled in the next at bat, moving Wright to third to give Ithaca runners on the corners with one out. The Bombers extended their lead to 5-1 on the next play with a Grage two-run double. The freshman advanced to third on a wild pitch, but two groundouts ended the inning.
 
The Bombers handed out a leadoff walk to Thompson in the bottom of the fifth, but Brooke Hockeborn lined out to left field and Ithaca picked Thompson off second to pick up two quick outs. A pop out ended the frame with no runs pushed across for the Saxons.
 
Skuraton started the top of the sixth with a single and Colleran followed up with a blast over the fence to give Ithaca a 7-1 lead. Fleck singled on the next at bat, but was caught stealing to clear the bases with one out. Brown and Wright hit consecutive homers for the Bombers, giving Ithaca a 9-1 lead.
 
The Bombers kept the inning going after Cooney as hit by a pitch and Grage singled, but the Saxons forced Murray into a fielder's choice and Holden into a line out to end the frame.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bombers forced a pop out, fielder's choice and line out to secure the victory.
 
Ithaca recorded 17 hits in the game, led by Fleck, Brown and Grage who each pitched in three hits. Colleran finished the game with three RBI, while Brown Wright and Grage each recorded two on the day.  
 
Holden finished the day in the circle with the win, allowing only five hits and one run.
 
The Bombers are back in action tomorrow at Kostrinsky Field as they face Buffalo State in a non-conference doubleheader. The first game is slated for a 3 p.m. start.