HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team ran its winning streak to eight straight with an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader sweep of Houghton College on Wednesday afternoon. Ithaca took the opener, 7-1, and secured the sweep with a 9-4 win in Game Two to improve its 18-8 on the season and 11-1 in the conference.
The Bombers pounded out 28 hits in the doubleheader sweep and benefitted from a pair of quality starts by junior
Robby Buffis and sophomore
Jake Binder. Buffis tossed a complete game in the seven-inning opener with two strikeouts and no walks, while Binder hurled six innings of two-hit ball in the nightcap with four punchouts.
Senior
Josh Savacool went 7-for-9 in the twin bill with four runs scored, a triple, stolen base and RBI.
GAME ONE: Ithaca 7, Houghton 1
IC jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two at bats. In the top of the first, Savacool led things off with a single and then stole second. A walk ensued to sophomore
Webb Little, who scored twice in a 1-for-3 opener, and senior
Trevor Thompson followed with an RBI single. Sophomore
Sam Little drove in the next run with a groundout to give Ithaca a 2-0 advantage after a half inning.
The Bombers built a two-out rally in the second as sophomore
Matt Carey got things going with a single and Savacool followed with his second base hit in as many innings. An error prolonged the frame, which allowed Carey to score, and then a failed pick off with W. Little on first brought in Savacool. Thompson delivered a hit to right to give Ithaca a 5-0 lead through two innings of play.
Houghton got a run back in the bottom half of the second inning, but Ithaca answered with an RBI double from sophomore
Andrew Bailey in the third, after senior
Ryan Henchey led off with a walk.
Ithaca tacked on the final run of the opener with an RBI triple by Savacoole with sophomore
Adam Gallagher on first base.
After Savacool's 4-for-5 effort in Game One, Thompson, Bailey and senior
Ryan Henchey each notched two hits apiece.
Buffis earned his fourth win of the season as he surrendered nine hits with no walks and faced 29 batters in the contest.
GAME TWO: Ithaca 9, Houghton 4
In the night cap, Ithaca went out to a 7-1 lead after the third inning, thanks to a pair of two-run base hits by W. Little. After an RBI groundout by S. Little in the top of the first, W. Little drove in junior
Domenic Boresta and sophomore
Adam Gallagher. He then brought home Savacool and sophomore
Matt Carey with a triple in the third inning. Also in the third, Boresta singled in Bailey, and then scored soon after on a stolen base and error.
The Bombers tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a two-run double by S. Little that plated Savacool and W. Little, to put Ithaca up by a 9-1 count.
Houghton smacked a three-run home run in the seventh inning to account for the 9-4 final.
Binder went six innings to raise his record to 6-0 on the season. He only gave up one run on a base hit to center in the second inning. Freshman
Tom Cosentino secured a save, as he fired the final three innings in relief and allowed three runs on five hits with two strikeouts.
The Bombers head to SUNY New Paltz on Saturday for a 2 p.m. non-conference game, and will then host the University of Rochester on Sunday at Freeman Field at 2 p.m.
