ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team lost to No. 20 the University of Rochester, 6-1, in the Liberty League championship game at Southside Field on Saturday. With the setback, Ithaca is now 25-8, while Rochester improves to 31-8 and earns the Liberty League's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship. Ithaca will find out its fate on Monday, May 17 at 1 p.m. as the NCAA will announce the entire field for the upcoming tournament.

IC started off the championship game with a lead-off walk to Gabby Laccona but the next three batters were retired. In Rochester's first at bat of the contest, Hannah Keiper singled with two outs and the next batter sent one to the warning track, which was caught by Kailey Collins.

The Yellowjackets put a runner in scoring position in the second after a walk and stolen base, but Beth Fleming induced three straight fly outs to keep the game at 0-0.

The Bombers placed two runners on in the third by way of a strikeout/passed ball to Tava Kasper and a single from Allison Dell'Orto. IC was unable to bring a run across as Haley Gaffney ended the inning with a fly out to the right field warning track.

Rochester cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the third on a two-run homerun to dead centerfield by Keiper to establish a 2-0 lead, but the Bombers responded in the top half of the fourth as Haley White smacked a one-out solo homer to left to make the score 2-1.

In the top of the fifth inning, Laccona led off with a single and moved over to third on a base hit by Dell'Orto, who advanced to second on a throw. Rochester made a pitching change after the back-to-back singles as Emily Sharlach replaced Hannah Leahy.

Sharlach got out the of the jam with a groundout to third base and a line drive double play to short stop to keep the Yellowjackets ahead, 2-1.

UR threatened to add to its lead in the bottom of the fifth as two runners reached, but Fleming kept IC within a run with a strikeout to end the inning.

In the top of the sixth, Collins led off with a double to left-center but was left stranded.

Rochester knocked Fleming out of the game in the bottom of the sixth on back-to-back singles and Riley Piromalli entered in relief. UR quickly loaded the bases with a bunt on the first pitch Piromalli delivered and cashed in with a two-run single to extend the lead to 4-1. Two more runs scored as a groundout to third base gave UR its fifth run of the contest and then a single down to line pushed home another.  

The Bombers were unable to score in the seventh as Rochester secured the 6-1 victory.