CORTLAND, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team was dealt a pair of Liberty League losses by Vassar College, 16-9 and 10-7, on Friday night at the Gutchess Sports Complex. Ithaca is now 17-7 overall on the year and 7-3 in the Liberty League.
GAME ONE: Vassar 16, Ithaca 9
Vassar took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a two-out solo home run to right field. The Brewers then went up by four on a three-run homer to left-center in the fourth.
IC answered back in the bottom of the fourth with a two-run base hit by
Matt Curtis to center, which brought home
Ryan Laubscher and
Camden Laney to make it 4-2. Laubscher and Laney both reached on line drive singles.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ithaca took a 5-4 lead as Curtis drove in two more with a single that went off the shortstop's glove to plate
Riley Brawdy and
Colin Shashaty and then
Nicholas Cutaia drew a bases loaded walk and Laney scored. After a pitching change,
Ethan Daddabbo and Brawdy walked to make it 7-4.
The Brewers got back to within a run in the top of the sixth on a single to center and error that allowed two runs to score. That was the end of
Colin Leyner's outing and
Conor Burns entered in relief with two runners on and one out. Vassar then went back ahead, 9-7, with two base hits and suicide squeeze.
Ithaca responded and tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, 9-9, on the fifth RBI of the game for Curtis, this time a ground-rule double to right and then Cutaia drove in the tying run with an infield single.
Vassar plated seven runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by a two-out grand slam to break the game open for the eventual 16-9 final score.
GAME TWO: Vassar 10, Ithaca 7
The Bombers threatened in the bottom of the second inning after a one-out double from Cutaia put two runners in scoring position, but back-to-back strikeouts ended IC's at bat.
Vassar scored three runs in the top of the third inning as a passed ball allowed the runners to move into scoring position and then an error allowed both to score. The next pitch, a liner to right-center made it 3-0.
Ithaca's deficit grew to 7-0 in the fourth inning as the Brewers strung together three straight hits to plate their first run and then a sacrifice fly drove in another. IC went to the bullpen after a hit by pitch and runners on the corners with one out,
Jack Picozzi started for the Bombers and looked sharp early on with four strikeouts in two innings, but the three unearned runs in the third and the beginning of the fourth inning knocked him out of the game.
The Bombers got on the board in the bottom of the fourth as Laney led off with a triple and scored on a single by
Ethan McDonough.
Vassar put two more on the board in the fifth after an infield single and error scored on a double to left-center. The Brewers then added another run in the sixth to make it 10-1.
In the bottom of the sixth, IC quickly loaded the bases and wound up scoring four runs on an RBI single by Cutaia, a groundout by
Nate Rodriguez and two runs scored on an error to bring the Bombers to within 10-5.
The Bombers strung together a two-out rally in the bottom of the seventh as Curtis and Laney singled and
Collin Feeney drove both in with a ground-rule double to account for the 10-7 final.
Ithaca is scheduled to play Bard in another doubleheader on Sunday.
