ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team split with St. John Fisher on Friday afternoon at Kostrinsky Field.
 
The Bombers fell 5-3 in game one before bouncing back to win 8-0 in five innings in game two. IC is now 9-4-1 on the season while the Cardinals sit at 7-8.
 
Game 1 | St. John Fisher 5, Ithaca 3
 
It was Ithaca that got on the board first, pushing across a run in the bottom of the first inning.
 
Vanessa Brown led off with a single to right center before stealing second to put herself in scoring position. Alex Wright then reached base on an error by the second baseman, advancing Brown to third, before Abby Shields drew a walk to load the bases. Hannah Anderson drove in the run, reaching on a fielder's choice and sending Brown home.
 
Although Fisher got things going offensively in the top of the second, the Cardinals left two on base. In the top of the third inning, however, St. John Fisher started a two-out rally to score the tying run.
 
With two outs, Ashley Prince drilled a double to left field and then scored on a Rachel Evans single to right. The Cardinals had a chance to add more runs to the board, as the bases were loaded, but the Bombers forced the final play and left three stranded.
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Prince once again got things going for the Cardinals, leading off with a single to right and advancing to third on an error. Evans followed that up with a single up the middle, to drive in Prince and give Fisher a 2-1 edge.
 
Ithaca wasted no time in answering right back to tie the game in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Brown drew a walk before Nikkey Skuraton sent a single to right field, pushing Brown to third before heading to second on the throw. Wright followed with a perfectly-placed bunt, beating out the throw and advancing to second, which brought Brown in and tied it up, 2-2.
 
Fisher, however, continued to put the pressure on Ithaca's defense, adding another run in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs, Jessica Sardina singled to third base and scored on Julia Sortisio's follow up single to left.  
 
The Cardinals put up two more runs in the top of the seventh inning to create a cushion. Emily Trotman doubled down the left field line to lead off before Kubik drew a two-out walk. Both Trotman and Kubik scored on a Mary Claire Grosvenor double to left field, giving St. John Fisher a 5-2 advantage over IC.
 
The Bombers rallied in the bottom of the seventh for one more run, but left two stranded to end the game. Brown sent a single to center before stealing second. She scored on the following play when Wright ripped a single to left field.
 
Brown went 2-for-3 with three runs scored while Wright finished 3-for-4 with two RBI.
 
Game 2 | Ithaca 8, St. John Fisher 0 (5 innings)
 
Ithaca wasted no time in getting in the groove at the start of game two.
 
Brown led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a Skuraton grounder. Wright sent a single to center, bringing in Brown for the first run of the game.
 
In the bottom of the third, Wright singled to second base before Abby Shields sent a single to right field. Anderson then ripped a double up the middle, scoring Wright and giving IC a 2-0 lead over the Cardinals.
 
Ithaca had a big fourth inning, scoring four runs. Lead-off batter Shannon Grage reached base on a dropped third strike and moved forward a base on an Annie Cooney grounder. Grage scored on a Brown single up the middle to give the Bombers a 3-0 edge.
 
Brown then scored on a Wright double to center field to take a 4-0 lead. Wright moved forward on a wild pitch and Shields drew a walk to put runners on the corners. Wright scored the second run of the inning on a Hannah Anderson shot up the middle, pushing IC's advantage to 5-0.
 
Shields scored the final run of the inning on a wild pitch, giving IC a 6-0 lead. The Bombers had a chance to extend the lead further, but three runners were left stranded to end the inning.
 
IC rallied one final time in the bottom of the fifth inning to add two runs and force the mercy.
 
Brown continued her solid day at the play with a solo home run to left field, giving the Bombers a 7-0 advantage. Wright then drew a walk and scored on error during a Shields' shot to right field.
 
Brown finished the game 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored while Wright went 3-for-3 with two RBI and three runs scored. Shields finished 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored.
 
As a team, the Bombers scored eight runs on 10 hits.
 
Shannon Grage picked up the win in the circle, pitching a full game, while allowing just two hits and striking out one.
 
The Bombers are back in action on Sunday at Manhattanville for a doubleheader at 12/2 p.m. IC travels to Alfred on Wednesday, April 3 for one final tune-up before starting conference play next weekend. Ithaca opens its Liberty League slate on Saturday, April 6 with a game against St. Lawrence, following by a Sunday, April 7 game against Clarkson.