SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team split its 2022 Liberty League opener at Skidmore College on Saturday as IC won game one, 5-3, in 11 innings but dropped the backend of the doubleheader, 3-2.

GAME ONE: Ithaca 5, Skidmore 3 (F-11)

• Both starting pitchers tamed the opposing lineups before the Bombers opened the scoring in the top of the fourth inning. IC opened the frame with back-to-back singles that were slashed to right field by Buzz Shirley and Nicholas Cutaia. They both advanced into scoring position with a fielder's choice and Connor Pedersen made it 1-0 when he drove in Shirley on a sacrifice fly. Matt Fabian was first-pitch swinging and it paid off for the junior as he hit an RBI single to drive in Cutaia making it 2-0 in favor of Ithaca.
• The Bombers added to their lead in the top of the eighth inning as Shirley once again led off the inning and got on base with Skidmore relief pitcher Christian Giresi plunking the senior first basemen. Shirley scored when Gil Merod blasted a double down the right field line.
• Skidmore hit into a bit of two-out magic in the bottom of the eighth with Jackson Hornung driving in a pair off Kyle Lambert on a homer that sailed over the left field fence.
• Lambert was able to get the first two outs of the ninth inning before Skidmore capitalized on a fielding error to send the game into extra innings. Lambert pitched 8.2 innings where he managed nine strikeouts and has now totaled 38 so far this season, which leads the Liberty League.
• Neither team threatened to score a run until the top of the 11^th inning when IC plated what turned out to be the game-winner as well as an insurance run. After fighting back in his at-bat to make it a 3-2 count, Matt Fabian drew a walk and scored two batters later when Riley Brawdy drove him in on a sacrifice fly. The Bombers made it 5-3 when Ethan Rothstein scored on a wild pitch.
• Garrett Bell locked down the bottom half of 11^th inning to secure the win for the Bombers. Bell improved to a perfect 3-0 this season.

 
GAME TWO: Skidmore 3, Ithaca 2

Ithaca jumped out to a 2-0 inning after six innings of play as Matt Fabian scored on an error in the fifth and he drove in Cutaia with a base hit in the sixth.

It was all Skidmore after that as the Thoroughbreds scored a run in each of their next three at bats to take a 3-2 lead, and the eventual win.

A solo homer in the sixth got Skidmore on the board and then an RBI single in the seventh knotted the game at 2-2. The winning run scored on a double in the eighth.

Nate Scott fired 7.0 innings in a no decision with four strikeouts and two earned runs on six hits.

Erislandy Rives took the loss in an inning of relief as he surrendered a run on two hits with two strikeouts.

Fabian and Shirley both collected two hits in the contest.

The Bombers are back in action at home against Elmira College on March 30.