VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Ithaca College baseball team got off to a thrilling start to begin its 2022 season as IC walked off with a 5-4 victory against New Paltz at Virginia Wesleyan University on Friday afternoon. The Bombers scored twice in the bottom of the ninth inning to come away with the win.

New Paltz took an early lead in the first inning despite Kyle Lambert striking out two of the first three batters. After giving up a walk to the second batter, New Paltz stole second to move a runner into scoring position. The Hawks' cleanup hitter sent a single to right field, allowing the runner on second to score for the first run of the game.

The Bombers were unable to score in the first inning despite Mike Nauta and Buzz Shirley drawing walks.

Both teams went three-up, three-down in the second and third innings. The Bombers kept New Platz from scoring in the fourth despite an error that put a runner on first but were still unable to put a run on the scoreboard at the bottom of the inning.

Despite New Paltz hitting a double at the start of the fifth inning, the Hawks could not push a run across the plate after flying and grounding out the next three at bats. Collin Feeney managed to get on base by error, but the Bombers were unable to send him in to score in the bottom half, and the score remained 1-0 at the end of the fifth.

Even though the Bombers started out the top of the sixth with two outs against the Hawks, they were unable to hold them back for long. New Paltz sent a double out to right field, followed by an RBI single. The hitter advanced to second when the Bombers attempted to get the runner out at home, which set the Hawks up to score again on another single to make it a 3-0 game.

However, the Hawks lead did not last much longer. Nauta sent a single up the middle to lead off for the Bombers. Louis Fabbo followed suit, sending another single through the left side. Shirley lined out next, giving the Hawks their first out, but Nicholas Cutaia responded quickly with a two-run triple to right center. Gil Merod stepped up to the plate next, hitting a single to the right side that allowed Cutaia to score the tying run.

Lambert went seven innings and struck out nine batters before giving way to Ethan Buckley in the top of the eighth, and Buckley proceeded to retire New Paltz in order. IC had a chance to take the lead in the bottom half of the eighth as Fabbo led off with a double, but he was retired at third on a comebacker to the pitcher, and IC was unable to produce anything else in the inning.

Despite the Bombers earning a quick two outs again at the start of the ninth inning, a walk and New Paltz double to right center sent a run in for the Hawks, putting New Paltz back ahead, 4-3.

Merod started the Bombers off with a single down left field before David Cifonelli came in as a pinch runner. A Connor Pedersen double to center field brought Cifonelli home to tie the game at 4-4. Shortly after, Pedersen advanced to third on a throwing error and then into home off a second error to score the game-winning run for Ithaca.

Fabbo, Cutaia and Merod each recorded two hits for IC in the win, while Buckley earned the victory in two innings of relief.

IC and New Paltz square off again tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. and then the Bombers play Virginia Wesleyan at 2:30 p.m.