WHITTIER, Calif. – The No. 3 Ithaca College softball team split with Whittier College on Thursday, dropping the first game, 7-6, before coming back to win the second, 2-0.
 
Ithaca is now 6-2 on the season with two more games of the spring break trip remaining.
 
Game 1 | Whittier 7, Ithaca 6
 
After one and one-half scoreless innings in the first game of the doubleheader, Whittier took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
 
Hannah Angileri led off the inning with a single up the middle before stealing second and advancing to third on a wild pitch. She then scored on a Yolanda Oregel single to right center to give the Poets a one-run advantage.
 
The Bombers put two runners on base in the top of the third but could not push across the tyig run. With two outs, Nikkey Skuraton singled up the middle before Vanessa Brown sent a single to right center. Although Skuraton was in scoring position, IC did not get the timely hit and both runners were left stranded.
 
Whittier added another run in the bottom of the third inning. Brianna MaGee led off with a double down the left field line before stealing third base. Kacey Whitney sent a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing in MaGee to give the Poets a 2-0 lead.
 
Ithaca finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. Brown started the rally with a two-out walk. Gabby Laccona then singled up the middle and advanced to second on a centerfield error, which gave Brown time to score.
 
Alex Wright and Abby Shields drew back-to-back walks to load the bases before first-year Daniella Mulvey stepped to the plate. Mulvey sent a double to centerfield which brought in both Wright and Laccona to give IC a 3-2 lead.
 
The Poets followed that up with their own multiple-run inning in the bottom of the fifth. Jannelle Ha led off, reaching second on an error and then advancing to third on a MaGee single to left center. Both Ha and MaGee scored when Whitney doubled to left center, taking a 4-2 lead. Whitney added one more run for Whittier, scoring on a Naomi Martinez single up the middle.
 
Ithaca produced two runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game, 5-5.
 
Haley White led off with a single to right before Skuraton drilled a double to right field to put both runners in scoring position. White scored on a Brown sacrifice fly and Skuraton headed home on a Laccona single down the right field line.
 
Whittier continued the offensive production, added two more runs in the bottom of the inning. Megan Heal drew a walk to lead off before Jade Sanchez – who came on to run for Heal – stole second. Ha tripled to center field to bring in Sanchez and give the Poets a 6-5 lead over IC before scoring on a Whitney single to left center.
 
The Bombers put together a rally in the top of the seventh but it would not be enough to overtake Whittier.
 
Mulvey drew a walk and advanced to second on an Annie Cooney ground out to second. Hannah Anderson stepped up to drill a double to left center, bringing in Mulvey. IC couldn't produce any more runs, however, falling 7-6.
 
Brown finished 2-for-2 with one run and one RBI while Laccona went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI.
 
Shannon Grage suffered the loss in the circle, allowing six hits and four runs in four innings pitched.
 
Game 2 | Ithaca 2, Whittier 0
 
Game two was not as offensively productive for either team, but the Bombers still came out on top to complete the split.
 
After four innings of scoreless play, Ithaca finally broke the stalemate in the top of the fifth inning.
 
Skuraton ripped a double to left field to start, before scoring on a Brown single through the right side to give the Bombers a 1-0 advantage.
 
The Bombers added another run in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Anderson drilled a homerun, her first of the season.
 
In total Ithaca's defense left seven Poets' runners stranded.
 
Skuraton finished 2-for-3 with one run score while Brown went 2-for-4 with one RBI.
 
Sophomore Beth Fleming improved to 3-1 in the circle, striking out 10 batters in a complete, seven-inning game.
 
The Bombers round out their trip to California with a doubleheader against No. 12 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tomorrow at 2 and 4 p.m. (PST).