ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team split with Rochester on Saturday afternoon in a Liberty League doubleheader.
 
The first game proved to be a close one, with Ithaca just edging the Yellowjackets, 4-3. The second game, however, belong to Rochester, which game out on top, 5-1.
 
With the split, the Bombers are now 18-8 on the season with a 7-3 mark in the Liberty League while Rochester is now 9-14 overall and a 2-4 conference record.
 
Game 1 | IC 4, Rochester 3
 
After two scoreless innings on both sides, it was Ithaca who got on the board first in the top of the third.
 
Frankie-Ann McCauley led off and reached base on a fielding error by Rochester's second baseman before advancing on an Ellie Murray hit. Allie Colleran sent a single up the middle to load the bases for the Bombers.
 
On the next play, freshman Gabby Laccona reached on an error by second base, which allowed both McCauley and Murray to score and give IC a 2-0 lead.
 
Rochester tied things up, 2-2, in the bottom of the fifth inning when Harleigh Kaczegowicz sent a one-out, two-run homerun to left center. The Bombers were able to close out the inning without any more damage, with Haley Congdon striking out Jessica Conforti before Sammi Re lined out to second base.
 
The top of the seventh proved to be the difference for IC, as the Bombers took the lead once again.
 
Hannah Anderson led off with a single down the right field line before Alex Wright sent a double to right center, putting two runners in scoring position. Shannon Grage then drove in Anderson to give the Bombers a lead before Murray singled up the middle, bringing in Wright and putting the Bombers up 4-2 with half an inning left.
 
Rochester started to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning, starting with Gianna Melillo drawing a talk to lead things off. Lydia Petricca then reached base on a fielder's choice, advancing Haberly Kahn – who was pinch running for Melillo – to third base.
 
Kaczegowicz drove in her third run of the game on the next play with a double to center field, bringing in Kahn.
 
The Yellowjackets would not be able to rally for any more runs as Jen Carson was forced into a ground out and Marissa Russo popped up to second for the final two outs of the game.
 
Anderson finished 2-for-3 with a run scored while Murray went 1-for-2 with one RBI and one run scored.
 
Grage earned the win in the circle for the Bombers, her first of the season.
 
Game 2 | Rochester 5, IC 1
 
Although the Bombers put up the first run of the game in the first inning, it would not be enough as Rochester stormed out to score five runs as the game progressed.
 
In the top of the first inning, Colleran led off with a single up the middle before moving forward on a Laccona single to short. Vanessa Brown then singled up the middle to load the bases for the Bombers before Colleran scored on a Wright sacrifice fly, giving IC a brief 1-0 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets tied things up in the bottom of the second inning. Leahy reached based after being hit by a pitch and stole second to put herself in scoring position. She then headed to third on an Anne Marie Cortes ground out to second. Leahy eventually went on to score on a wild pitch, tying the game, 1-1.
 
Rochester put up two more runs in the bottom of the third inning, which would prove to be enough for the Yellowjackets.
 
Petricca led off the inning with a single to right field before Melillo was hit by a pitch. Alexis Pope singled and advanced to second on the throw, allowing Michaela Farmer, who was pinch running for Petricca, to score and give Rochester the lead.
 
On the next play, Leahy reached on a fielding error and was able to advance to third, allowing Pope to score and give the Yellowjackets a 3-1 lead over IC.
 
The bottom of the sixth inning was another two-run inning for Rochester, starting with a Rachel Pletz single. Kaczegowicz then doubled to center before Russo drove in both runners with a single to left field.
 
Although the Bombers were able to get things going offensively, they could not push any more runs across and stranded a total of 13 runners, nine of which were from the fourth inning on, after Rochester took the lead.
 
Laccona finished 2-for-3 on the day while Brown finished 2-for-4.
 
Ithaca is back in action tomorrow as the Bombers take on Union College in a Liberty League doubleheader. Action is slated to start at 1 p.m.