ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team shutout the visiting Dutchwomen of Union College in both games of Saturday's doubleheader earning a pair of 8-0 victories as they were powered by two dominant pitching performances as well as outhitting their opponents by a 20-5 margin. With the sweep, the Bombers earned their first two Liberty League conference wins and improved to 14-5-1 overall.

Ithaca 8, Union College 0 (F-5)
Despite giving up a lead-off walk and single to Karson Saunders that put runners on first and second, Riley Piromalli struck out a pair and then solid defense from Haley Pettrucci and Tava Kasper ended the inning as Amanda Granato was thrown out at home attempting a double-steal play. The Bombers saw four hits in the bottom half of the frame, which included Hudson Hassler doubling home Sela Scheinman who opened the inning with a single up the middle.

Piromalli worked a perfect top half of the second, which included another pair of strikeouts, both of which came swinging. Runners quickly were on third and second for the Bombers, but they were unable to covert as Union's Ellie Wintringer made an outstanding sliding catch to rob Allison Dell'Orto of a potential extra base hit.

The Bombers went on to make it 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning when Haley Petrucci started the inning with a rocket single and scored on a Union fielding error. Cynthia Ehrenfeld would score on a Scheinman sacrifice fly and Dell'Orto earned an RBI, driving home Belle de Oliveira to complete the scoring within the inning.

Riley Jahnle entered the pitching circle for the Dutchwomen in the bottom of the fifth frame and Ithaca instantly jumped on her with back-to-back singles from Madison Casale and Kailey Collins. Those singles set the stage for Haley Petrucci who blasted her second home run of the season, this time it was a three-run shot that sailed over the left center field fence. The Bombers would eventually reach the mercy run-rule when Sela Scheinman drove in Belle De Oliveira on a sacrifice fly, it was her second RBI of the game.

Riley Piromalli earned the win to improve to 6-4 on the season. She scattered just three hits, while striking out seven.

Ithaca 8, Union College 0 (F-5)
The Bombers picked up where they left off in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader plating two runs on three hits in the bottom of the first frame after Anna Cornell worked a perfect 1-2-3 top half of the inning. Tava Kasper sent a double that ricocheted off the center field fence that Allison Dell'Orto was able to score from. Kasper would score one batter later when Kailey Collins ripped an RBI single right back up the middle.

Anna Cornell continued her dominant start in the circle striking out nine of the first 10 batters of the game. The Bombers loaded the bases up in the bottom of the third but were unable to cash in as the inning ended with Collins flying out to left field and Scheinman was thrown out at home plate. Cornell added two more strikeouts in the fourth inning and first year Kailen Winkelblech came up with a clutch pinch-hit RBI single that made it 3-0. Two more runs crossed home plate when Hudson Hassler doubled down the left field line and Hassler scored a batter later when Dell'Orto placed her single in a gap within the Dutchwomen defense.

The Bombers then ran a successful double steal play that saw Dell'Orto eventually score on an error by the catcher that made it 7-0. Ithaca would successfully bat around its lineup when Suzie Williams stepped back to the plate and drove home Kailey Collins with a single off relief pitcher Autumn Duff.

Cornell finished with 12 strikeouts, her fourth time this season with a double-digit strikeout total. She worked passed giving up a double in the fifth as she got Duff to go down swinging for the game's final out.

Ithaca College will host Liberty League foe the University of Rochester in a doubleheader at Kostrinsky Field on Sunday. Game times are slated for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.