HOBOKEN, N.J. – The Ithaca College baseball team traveled to Stevens Institute of Technology on Wednesday for an Empire 8 Conference doubleheader at Dobbelaar Field in Hoboken, N.J. and came away with a split. Ithaca won the opener, 4-2, but fell in the nightcap, 12-6. The Bombers are now 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the Empire 8, while Stevens is 7-10 and 4-1.

Game One: Ithaca 4, Stevens 2

Stevens took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly. The Ducks' lead-off batter, Tommy Baronner, reached on a walk and found his way to third on a passed ball and a throwing error of a failed pickoff attempt.

Ithaca tied things up in the top of the second inning as senior Garrett Snyder stroked a lead-off solo home run to the right-center alley.

The Bombers took the lead in the top of the third inning, 2-1, as senior Matt Carey scored from third base on a fielder's choice off the bat of Garrett Callaghan. Carey led off with a double and moved up to third on a wild pitch before scampering home on a slow roller down the first base line and was ruled safe after the throw home got away from Stevens' catcher.

A perfectly executed hit-and-run by senior Webb Little set up runners at the corners and forced Stevens to go to the bullpen. After the pitching change, senior Adam Gallagher staked IC to a 3-1 advantage with a sac fly to centerfield, which brought home Callaghan.

The Ducks threatened in the bottom of the fifth as they loaded the bases with two outs on a single, walk and error. A hard hit line drive from the next batter looked destined to reach right field and bring in at least one run, but W. Little made a terrific grab at second base to keep Stevens off the board.

In the top of the sixth, the Bombers extended their lead to 4-1 on a lead-off solo homer by Gallagher to right field.

Stevens got a run back in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out solo shot, but that was as close as the Ducks could get, as graduate student Tyler Hill struck out the final batter to polish off his third win of the season in a complete game effort.

Hill allowed just three hits and struck out six batters in the victory.

Seven different Bombers recorded a hit in the opener, including home runs from Gallagher and Snyder, and a double from senior Matt Carey.

Game Two: Stevens 12, Ithaca 6

The Bombers jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning on three hits. Callaghan led off with an infield single and then scored on a base hit and error off the bat of Gallagher. IC then loaded the bases after a pair of walks and then senior Cam Fuoti came through with a two-run single to right field to cap off the frame as Gallagher and Snyder scored.

Stevens battled back in the bottom half of the first with three runs of its own to tie the game. A two-run blast started the rally and then after a single and sac bunt, a base hit to right field brought in the tying run.

The Ducks then took a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second with another solo shot with one out. After the second out was recorded, senior Andrew Bailey was replaced on the mound by junior Tom Cosentino, who got out of the inning on a line out to third base.

Ithaca regained the lead in the top of the fifth inning, 5-4, as junior Buzz Shirley stroked a no-doubt two-run homer to right field with Gallagher on first base.

Stevens would deadlock the nightcap at 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning with a two-out line drive single to center with a runner on third base. A lead-off free pass eventually came around to score after a wild pitch advanced him to second and then moved up third on a groundout.

In the sixth inning, the Ducks took a three-run lead, 8-5, on four hits and two Ithaca errors. Stevens strung together four consecutive hits to bring in two runs and the third crossed the plate on a wild pitch and throwing error.

On the first pitch in the top of the seventh, Shirley cranked his second home run to the game to make the score 8-6, but that was the closest IC could get, as Stevens posted four runs in the bottom of the eighth to push its lead to 12-6 heading to the ninth.

In the four-run eighth, the Ducks scored their first run on a sac bunt and an error. Stevens then loaded bases to set up an RBI single off the right field wall for the second run. Two more runs came home on a base hit through the left side to break the game open in what would be the eventual final score of 12-6.

Shirley tallied three RBI, while Fuoti, Callaghan and Gallagher each notched two hits.

Cosentino took the loss in 3.2 innings of relief. Cosentino allowed four run (three earned) on six hits. Bailey started the game and went 1.2 innings before he was relieved.

Senior Matt Eiel threw two innings out of the pen and allowed four runs (three earned) and junior Trevor Rumsey accounted for the final 0.2 innings of work with a strikeout.

The Bombers left 13 runners on base in Game Two and committed four errors defensively.