ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team suffered a 12-6 Empire 8 Conference loss to Utica College on Sunday at Freeman Field, which was also Senior Day. Ithaca is now 23-11 on the season and 12-4 in the Empire 8 with four games remaining on its schedule. Utica improves to 18-14 and 8-7 in conference play.

Ithaca wasted no time getting on the board on Sunday, as senior Josh Savacool led off with a double and then stole third. Sophomore Webb Little drove him in three pitches later with a sacrifice fly to right to put the Bombers up, 1-0.

Utica took the lead in the top of the third, 3-1, with a bases-clearing double to the left-centerfield gap. After retiring the first two batters of the inning, sophomore Zach Zottola ran into trouble, as he hit a batter and walked two more to load the bases.

Junior Chris Marinaccio entered in relief and allowed a run on back-to-back hit by pitches. The Pioneers then tacked on two more runs with a ground-rule double to left to make the score 6-1, which forced Marinaccio out of the game. Freshman Matt Eiel got out of the inning with a strikeout looking and two runners in scoring position.

The Bombers got a run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single to right-center by senior Ryan Henchey that plated classmate Trevor Thompson. A double play ended Ithaca's chance to add any more runs in the frame.

Ithaca threatened to score another run in the bottom of the fourth as senior Ryan Dougherty ripped a triple and then Savacool reached on a hit by pitch. Utica's centerfielder kept the Bombers off the board, as he tracked down a potential extra base hit by W. Little in the left-center gap.

In the bottom of the fifth, Ithaca scored two runs on four hits to pull to within a 6-4 difference. The Bombers started things off with three straight singles by Thompson, sophomore Sam Little and Henchey. Thompson scored on the Henchey base hit and then sophomore Adam Gallagher just missed home run to dead centerfield, but wound up with a double. S. Little scored on the hit for Ithaca's fourth run of the game.

Utica went back up by three runs, 7-4, in the sixth on a lead-off double and a base hit up the middle, and then tacked on four more runs in the seventh to build an 11-4 advantage. In the seventh, the Pioneers placed their first two batters on, and after an intentional walk, scored two runs on an infield base hit and error. A walk loaded the bases and then a high fly ball to right was lost in the sun, which went down as a double, and two more runs crossed the plate.

Thompson, who went 2-for-4 with three runs scored, capped off the afternoon with a two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the ninth.

Zottola took the loss in 2.2 innings pitched. Eiel tossed 2.2 innings in relief and struck out three, while freshman Tom Cosentino recorded one inning pitched. W. Little fanned four over two innings and senior Logan Barer cleaned up the final 2/3 of an inning.

The Bombers head to St. Lawrence University on Tuesday, May 3 for a non-conference contest at 4 p.m. and then host Wells College the following afternoon at 4 p.m. Ithaca's regular season concludes with an Empire 8 doubleheader against St. John Fisher College on the 6th at 1 p.m.