ALFRED, N.Y. – Both contests turned out to be extremely competitive on Wednesday as it took a walk-off hit in the first game that saw Alfred win 3-2, but the Ithaca College softball team defeated the Saxons 9-7 in a high scoring nightcap. With Wednesdays, non-conference split the Bombers improved to 12-5-1 while Alfred moves to 9-9-1.
Game 1: Alfred University 3, Ithaca 2 (F)
Ithaca got the scoring started right away plating what turned out to be both of their runs in the top half of the first frame.
Sela Scheinman showed off her wheels after walking, she stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a successful squeeze play that earned
Hudson Hassler an RBI. Hassler went on to score later on in the inning on a wild pitch from Alfred's starting pitcher Arden Hatch.
Hatch kept the Bombers from scoring for the rest of the game, but
Riley Piromalli grinded her way through 6.2 innings pitched scattering eight hits, while striking out four. Alfred would make it 1-1 in the bottom of the first inning with a solo home run from Mya Wells and they would tie it up in the bottom of the fourth when Santa Margarita singled to center field brining in the pinch runner.
The Bombers had runners on first and second base with just one out in the top half of the seventh but were unable to convert as Arden Hatch induced an inning ending ground ball. Alfred saw Mya Wells single and advanced to second on a sacrifice and would score with a two-out single that was perfectly placed to give Wells enough time to score, giving the Saxons the 3-2 walk-off win.
Hassler,
Allison Dell'Orto,
Tava Kasper and
Belle de Oliveira each recorded one hit apiece.
Game 2: Ithaca 9, Alfred 7 (F)
Despite going down 2-0 after the first inning, the Bombers bats would heat up as they ended up outhitting Alfred 14-5 and mounted their comeback in a five-run third inning.
Hudson Hassler drove in both Scheinman and De Oliveira with a clutch single in the center field gap. Hassler went on to score on a
Tava Kasper RBI single making it 4-3 and
Madison Casale earned her seventh RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly. The Saxons responded by plating one in the bottom half of the inning and both teams put together two-run innings in the fourth making it 7-6 in favor of IC.
Haley Petrucci came up with a clutch RBI double in the top of the fifth as Casale crossed home plate making it 8-6. The final Bombers run was scored when
Olivia Comolli ripped an RBI single to the right center field gap.
Anna Cornell earned the win as she only gave up two earned runs before
Bella Scolaro came in her relief to earn the save in 3.0 innings pitched. Scolaro scattered three hits, striking out one, while giving up one.
Ithaca College will return to Liberty League action this weekend, first hosting Union on Saturday for a home doubleheader and then the University of Rochester on Sunday. First pitch against Union College is slated for 1 p.m. from Kostrinsky Field.
