LEESBURG, Fla. – The No. 14 Ithaca College softball team dropped two games on opening day of the 2020 season.
 
The Bombers began their spring break trip in Florida with a 7-3 loss to Swarthmore before falling to Case Western Reserve, 9-7.
 
Game 1: Swarthmore 7, Ithaca 3
 
Although senior Abby Shields doubles in the bottom of the first to put herself in scoring position, she was left stranded on second.
 
Swarthmore then put its first run of the game on the board in the top of the second inning. With one out, Sam Hastings drew a walk and advance to both second and third on wild pitches. Kate Hart then drew a walk and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position.
 
Hastings ultimately scored on a Laura Hirai sacrifice fly to right field. Mike Maenage then drew a walk to put runners on the corners, but IC forced a ground out to end the inning.
 
The Bombers put up an equalizing run in the bottom of the third inning.
 
Sophomore Julia Loffredo started things off with a single up the middle. Then, with two outs, sophomore Daniela Mulvey doubled to right field to score Loffredo and tie things up, 1-1.
 
After one and one-half innings of scoreless softball, Ithaca pushed two more runs across to take a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
 
With one out, Loffredo doubled to right center to put herself in scoring position. Junior Gabby Laccona then singled and advanced to second on the throw, allowing Loffredo to score. Mulvey then drove in Laccona for her second RBI of the day with a single to center.
 
Swarthmore, however, tied the game, 3-3, in the top of the sixth.
 
Kalli Segel led off the inning with a single to right field. Gabriella Natoli followed that up with another single to right, putting Anika Rajamani, who was pinch running for Segal, in scoring position.
 
A Hastings' single to right loaded the bases for the Garnet, before Marisa Mancini drew a walk, allowing Rajamani to score. The second run of the game was driven in by Lucy Decker, who reached on a fielder's choice and scored Natoli.
 
After three up, three down for IC in the bottom of the sixth, Swarthmore added its final four runs in the top of the seventh.
 
Gwen Glatz reached on a fielder's choice play before stealing second to put herself in scoring position. Segel singled to left field to advance Glatz and a Natoli bunt brought Glatz home to give the Garnet a 4-3 edge on Ithaca.
 
With two outs, Hastings drilled a three-run homer, scoring Natoli and Segel and giving Swarthmore a 7-3 lead which would ultimately hold until through the final half inning.
 
The Bombers left two on base in the bottom of the seventh. Laccona drew a one-out walk and Shields singled to left, but both were left stranded.
 
Mulvey went 2-for-4 with two RBI while Shields also finished 2-for-4. Loffredo went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
 
Game 2: Case Western Reserve 9, Ithaca 7
 
After one and one-half innings of scoreless play to open the second game of the day, Case Western Reserve broke the stalemate to score three runs in the bottom of the second inning.
 
Hope Yashnik led off with a single up the middle before Sydney Wagner reached on a fielder's choice. Both runners then moved ahead a base into scoring position on a passed ball.
 
Yashnik and Wagner both scored on the next play as Ilissa Hamilton singled to second base. Sarah Miller followed that up with a single down the left field line before both runners stole a base.
 
Hamilton scored the third run of the inning on a Nicole Carty sacrifice fly, to put CWRU up 3-0.
 
The Bombers responded in a big way, scoring five runs in the top of the third inning.
 
Loffredo led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch.  First-year Tava Kasper then singled up the middle and advanced to second on the throw. Loffredo also advanced to third on the throw and scored on an error by the catcher.
 
Kasper stole third before first-year Allison Dell'Orto drew a walk. Dell'Orto then stole second and Kasper stole home to cut CWRU's lead to just a single run.
 
Laccone moved Dell'Orto to third with a sacrifice bunt. Dell'Orto was ultimately driven in by a Shields' double to left center, tying the game, 3-3.
 
On the next at-bat, senior Haley Gaffney sent a two-run shot over the center field fence to give IC a 5-3 advantage at the end of the inning.
 
The high-scoring affair continued in the bottom of the third inning, as CWRU scored three more runs.
 
Dusstyn Reynolds led off with a single to short before Melissa Cuellar drew a walk. Wagner then singled through the left side to load the bases for the Spartans.
 
Reynolds, Tucci – who was pinch running for Cuellar – and Wagner all scored on a Miller trip, giving CWRU a 6-5 lead over the Bombers.
 
In the top of the fourth inning, IC added two more runs to take a 7-6 lead.
 
With one out, Loffredo singled down the left field line before Kasper doubled to left field. Dell'Orto then drove in both runners with a double down the left field line.
 
Once again, CRWU answered right back, tying the game up at 7-7 in the bottom of the fourth inning.
 
Carty led off with a single to center and Liv Thomas followed that up with a single to right field. Carty advanced to second but was ultimately picked off at third base.
 
Reynolds then singled to left, putting Thomas in scoring position. Thomas scored on the following at-bat as Yashnik singled to third to tie the game.
 
The Spartans took a 9-7 lead in the bottom of the fifth inning after putting up two more runs.
 
Hamilton led off with a double down the left field line before Miller singled to short.
 
Miller then stole second and Hamilton scored on a catcher's error.
 
Miller advanced to third on an Arisa Cleaveland ground out and scored on a Carty sacrifice fly.
 
Loffredo went 2-for-2 with two runs scored while Kasper went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Dell'Orto finished 1-for-2 with two RBI and a run scored.
 
The Bombers are right back to action tomorrow with a 10:15 a.m. game against Susquehanna and a 12:30 p.m. game against Catholic.