ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team will play for a Liberty League title tomorrow morning after the Bombers secured an 8-7 walk-off victory over the University of Rochester in the 10th inning at Freeman Field on Friday afternoon. With the win, Ithaca is now 29-12 and will face the winner of Rochester and Clarkson on Saturday.
In the bottom of the 10th inning,
Collin Feeney led off with an infield single to short.
Louis Fabbo followed with a walk and
Buzz Shirley was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Rochester made its seventh pitching change of the game, and on the fifth pitch of the next at bat,
Nicholas Cutaia smoked a hard grounder to third base, which kicked away and allowed Feeney to race home for the game-winning run.
Rochester threatened in the top of the first inning with back-to-back walks to start the game, but a double play and an incredible snag on the mound by
Nate Scott kept the Yellowjackets off the board.
In the bottom of the first inning,
Mike Nauta drew a lead-off walk, and three pitches later, Rochester made a pitching change just nine pitches into Colby Cruser's outing. Fabbo followed with a walk to set the Bombers up with two on and no out. Shirley stepped to the plate next and ripped a two-run double to right-center to give IC a 2-0 lead.
The Bombers extended their lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth as
Matt Fabian laced a single down the left field line with
Nicholas Cutaia on second. Cutaia led off the inning with a double down the line. A fielder's choice and error put two runners on for the Bombers and
Ethan Rothstein made the Yellowjackets pay with an RBI single to left as Fabian scored from second to make the score 4-0 and UR went to the bullpen once again.
Rochester put together a rally in the fifth inning with four straight singles, which resulted in two runs. The first run scored on a base hit to left and the next came home on a bunt single and error.
Nate Scott was pulled from the game for
Matt Chase after UR made the score 4-2.
A few pitches later, Harper Sy tied the game at 4-4 with a two-run double down the right field line.
IC regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth, 5-4, as Nauta lined a base hit to right field after a pitching change for the Yellowjackets and
Ethan Rothstein scored from second base with two outs. After a walk to Fabbo, Shirley extended IC's cushion to 7-4 with a two-run double down the right field line.
Rochester had an opportunity to pull to within a run after a pair of singles moved into scoring position, but Chase got off of the jam with an inning-ending fly out to right field in the top of the seventh to preserve IC's 7-4 lead.
In the top of the eighth, UR led off with a double and stole third before a single to right made the score 7-5. The Bombers relieved Chase with
Erislandy Rives and UR scored another run on a single that got passed a diving Pedersen at short. IC then went to
Garrett Bell with the score at 7-6 with two on and no out, who would get out of the inning with a fly out and ground out.
Rochester tied the game in the top of ninth with an RBI triple to right-center. The next Yellowjackets batted dropped a single into right field and Fabian threw the runner out at the plate to keep the go-ahead run from scoring. UR was retired on a deep fly out to centerfield.
The Bombers loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth behind a double from Fabian and walks to Merod and Rothstein, but UR's Brian McKinsey saved the game with a diving catch in left on a would-be game-winning hit by Brawdy.
Rochester was unable to produce anything in the top of the 10th as the Bombers.
Shirley drove in four runs on two hits, while Cutaia was 2-for-6. Fabbo walked four times and Fabian was 2-for-5.
Bell improves to 7-0 on the season in 3.0 innings of relief with one unearned run and three hits allowed.
Scott started and threw 4.0 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits. Chase tossed 3.0 innings and gave up two runs on five hits with two strikeouts.
Ithaca will play for its first Liberty League championship tomorrow and need just one win to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
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