ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team defeated the University of Scranton, 11–1, on Wednesday afternoon in its first home game of the 2023 season at Freeman Field. The Bombers built an early 7–0 through the first three innings and never looked back, getting defensive help as the Royals managed just four hits on the day. 
 
Jack Colyer got the start for the Bombers, striking out five batters and allowing just two hits through five innings. His only earned run came from a solo home run in the fifth inning. The Bombers built a three-run lead through the first two innings, and a three-run home run by Ethan Rothstein broke open the game for the Bombers in the bottom of the third inning.
 
Colyer set the tone for the Bombers with a one-two-three first and second inning with two strikeouts in the first and one in the second. The Bombers got a runner to third in the bottom of the first from a two-out triple by Garrett Callaghan, who scored on a throwing error in the next at-bat for a 1–0 lead.
 
The Bombers added two more runs on three hits in the second inning. Gil Merod led off with a double and Rothstein's single two batters later put runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly by Mike Nauta brought Merod home, and a double by Riley Brawdy sent Rothstein home for a 3–0 lead.
 
Another big rally in the bottom of the third gave the Bombers a 7–0 lead as all four runs scored with two outs. Connor Pederson kicked off the rally with a walk. Merod and Ryan Laubscher earned back-to-back singles, giving Laubscher an RBI. With two runners on base, Rothstein launched a three-run homer to rightfield.
 
Coyler continued his great day on the mound, giving up scoreless innings in the third and fourth innings, adding two more strikeouts. Coyler gave up a run in the top of fifth as Scranton earned its second hit of the day with a solo home run.
 
The Bombers added another run in the bottom of the sixth to build an 8–1 lead. With the bases loaded, Nicholas Cutaia drew a walk to bring Rothstein home.
 
In the seventh, the Bombers began another two-out rally capped off with a three-run blast for an 11–1 lead. This time, it was Brawdy hitting the long ball for his third of the season.
 
John Griffin, Dan Kellachan, Landon White, and Matt Chase each pitched a scoreless inning in relief, allowing a combined two hits. White and Chase each threw one-two-three innings in the eighth and ninth innings to shut the door and close out the win.
 
The Bombers move to an 8–6 record on the season, breaking a two-game losing streak. The Bombers return to action for a three-game series against the University of Rochester over the weekend. The Bombers host a doubleheader on Saturday with games beginning at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. before travelling to Rochester on Sunday.