CLERMONT, Fla. – The Ithaca College softball team is competing at THE Spring Games down in Clermont, Fla. during its Spring Break taking on formidable competition as the Bombers got off to a great start defeating Arcadia University 10-5 but in the nightcap they were shutout 3-0 to Nichols College. With Sunday's split, Ithaca's record now sits at 2-2 overall as the team will play eight more games this upcoming week.
 
Ithaca College 10, Arcadia University 5 (F)
 
IC handed Arcadia University its first loss of the season as they started their season a day earlier with wins over Wheaton College and Gordon College. Ithaca jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with Sela Scheinman scoring on a sacrifice fly from Elise Waddington. The Knights would strike back plating a pair of runs to go up 2-1 on three hits and were assisted by a pair of IC fielding errors.
 
A quality start in the pitching circle was turned in by Anna Cornell who spun the ball well picking up six strike outs while earning her second victory of the season as she gave up four earned runs across seven innings pitched.
 
The Bombers responded in the bottom of the third and tied it up with Ava Rao driving in Olivia Comolli on a sacrifice fly that was hit out to center field. The Ithaca offense broke through for five runs in the bottom of the fourth and added a pair in the fifth and one more for good measure in the sixth inning.
 
The bottom of the fourth frame saw Jessie Lopez lead off and reach with an Arcadia fielding error that was followed up by back-to-back singles from Scheinman and Hudson Hassler and two were driven in when Emma Waddington ripped a double. The Bombers offense kept clicking as Comolli drove in Hassler with an RBI single and Waddington scored on a Kailen Winkelblech RBI single that dropped in the left field gap. Ithaca made it 7-3 when Ava Rao was able to reach on a fielder's choice that would see Winkelblech score on an error by the Knights catcher.
 
Ithaca padded its lead in the fifth with back-to-back sacrifice flies that were produced by Olivia Comolli and Kailen Winkelblech that earned them each an RBI. The final IC run was scored after they loaded the bases up with one out and Huson Hassler drew a walk that made it 10-3. Cornell gave up a pair of runs before closing the door with the final two outs coming on a ground out and a fly out from Allie LaRochelle.
 
Nichols College 3, Ithaca College 0 (F)
 
The Bombers saw their first base runner in the top of the first as Elise Waddington continued to stay hot as she ripped a single to center field. Ainsley Rogers got off to a good start retiring the first three batters of the game on a pair of ground outs and Sela Scheinman recorded the other out catching a pop up. Rogers ran into trouble in the bottom of the second inning giving up a leadoff single to Allie Silliman and then hit Mackenzie Jackson as they both were driven in on a two-RBI double to right center off the bat of Erin Gour. She would go onto score two batters later, on a fielder's choice and Rogers was able to escape the inning with Nichols building a 3-0 lead.
 
Jessie Lopez started the top of the third legging out an infield single. Chelsea Indyk wasn't fazed on recorded three-straight outs including inducing a pop out from Waddington and a fly out to center field from Hudson Hassler. Taylor Brunn entered the pitching circle in the bottom of the third and she struck out a pair while not allowing a hit across the next two frames.
 
Brunn ended up pitching 4.0 innings where she limited Nichols to just one hit while striking out four opponents. The Bombers had their chances as they stranded three runners in the top of the fifth inning and once again had the chance to tie it in the top of the seventh. Belle de Oliveira opened the frame with a single right back up the middle and moved to second when Scheinman walked, but Ally McNamee came in relief in the circle and earned the save when she forced Hudson Hassler into a fly out.
 
The Bombers will return to action on Monday, March 11 playing two more games down in Clermont, Fla. against Mount Saint Mary College (NY) at 4 p.m. and Carroll University at 6:30 p.m.