ELMIRA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team split an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader at Elmira College's Dunn Field on Sunday afternoon. Ithaca dropped the opener, 3-2, and rebounded in the night cap with a 9-5 victory. The Bombers are now 11-8 on the season and 4-3 in the Empire 8, while Elmira is 7-9 and 4-4 in league play.

Game One: Elmira 3, Ithaca 2

The Bombers got out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on an RBI single to left field off the bat of junior Domenic Boresta, which plated sophomore Sam Little, who led off the inning with a walk.

Elmira knotted the opener up at 1-1 with a one-out solo home run to left field off of freshman Tom Cosentino, but Ithaca answered in the fifth with a run-scoring double from sophomore Webb Little that plated fellow sophomore Matt Carey. Carey found his way on base with a lead-off single and moved into scoring position on a groundout.

The Soaring Eagles battled back in the bottom of the seventh and won the game on an infield single with runners on the corners. Prior to the game-winning hit, Elmira drew a walk and moved that runner over to third on a balk and groundout. With two outs, the Bombers committed an error which allowed the game-tying run to score, and then Elmira strung together back-to-back hits to walk-off with the victory.

Cosentino did not factor into the decision over 5.2 innings pitched. He allowed one run on four hits with a strikeout and threw just 59 pitches. Sophomore Andrew Bailey took the loss in one inning of relief as he gave up two hits and two runs, both unearned.

Boresta went 2-for-3 in the opener, while W. Little and Carey both had a 1-for-3 day at the plate.

Game Two: Ithaca 9, Elmira 5

Ithaca once again jumped out in front, 1-0, with a sacrifice fly from senior Trevor Thompson in the top of the third that brought home sophomore Adam Gallagher. Gallagher led off the inning with a base hit.

The lead grew to 2-0 in the fourth as senior Ryan Henchey scored on a triple by Boresta. Henchey earned his way on base with a hit by pitch and then stole second.

Elmira answered with a four-run fourth inning on five hits. The rally started with three straight hits, including back-to-back doubles to bring in two runs. After another base hit, consecutive hit by pitches brought in another run. The Bombers went to the bullpen and immediately surrendered a base hit to give the Soaring Eagles and 4-2 lead, but a groundout and double play ended Elmira's rally.

In the top of the fifth, Gallagher led off with a single and senior Josh Savacool followed with a base hit to put runners on the corners. W. Little then drove in Gallagher with a sac fly to center to bring Ithaca back to within a one-run difference at 4-3.

Henchey deadlocked the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth with a lead-off home run on a full count, and then the Bombers regained the lead on a base hit by Gallagher four batters later. Ithaca tacked on another run in the sixth on a wild pitch that allowed sophomore Garrett Snyder to scamper home.

Ithaca capitalized on another wild pitch in the eighth, as Carey came home on the errant delivery, but Elmira got in the run back in the bottom half of the frame with a base hit.

In the ninth, IC crossed two more runs to account for the final score of 9-5. S. Little tripled in Thompson and then sophomore John Peterson capped off the win with a sac fly to left to bring in S. Little.

Junior Chris Marinaccio earned the victory in 4.1 innings of relief, as he struck out four batters and gave up four hits. W. Little picked up his second save of the season in 1.2 innings pitched with a pair of strikeouts.

Senior Logan Barer got the starting nod for the Bombers and lasted three innings. Barer fanned three and gave up four runs on five hits.

Gallagher and S. Little both collected three hits in the night cap, while Boresta, Henchey and Savacool notched two hits.

The Bombers travel to the University of Rochester on Tuesday, April 11 for a 4 p.m. non-conference contest. IC will host Houghton College the following afternoon at 4 p.m.