ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team was unable to overcome an early deficit to SUNY Oswego and lost to the Lakers, 11-6, at Freeman Field on Tuesday afternoon. Ithaca is now 19-8 on the season.
Oswego quickly loaded the bases to start the game as three of the first four batters reached and then the Lakers took a 2-0 lead on a single to right field. Oswego piled it on from there with four more runs crossing the plate on two hits and an error to extend the lead to 6-0, which forced IC to go to the bullpen. After the change, Oswego stole a base and moved to third on another error and then scored on a groundout to make it 7-0.
The Lakers loaded the bases again in the second, but
Keaton Blackwood got out of the jam with a strikeout and fly out to end the inning.
IC got on the board in the bottom of the second on an RBI single to right-center by
Ethan McDonough to bring in
Riley Brawdy. The Bombers then pulled to within 7-4 on a two-run double to right-center off the bat of
Tyler Pugliese as
Camden Laney and
Collin Feeney scored, and then Brawdy drove home Pugliese on a base hit to left.
The Lakers went back ahead by five runs, 9-4, in the top of the fourth as the first run scored on a base hit and the second crossed the plate on a wild pitch. Oswego tacked on two more runs in the seventh inning and threatened to add more, but
Conor Burns entered the game and retired the next three batters on a pair of strikeouts and a groundout.
Burns went 2.0 innings and struck out three batters in his outing.
Ithaca ended its scoreless drought in the bottom of the eighth as Brawdy drove home Pugliese all the way from first base on a double to right-center to make it 11-5.
Nate Rodriguez then ripped a single down the left field line to plate Brawdy for an 11-6 game.
IC put two runners on base in the ninth but was unable to score.
Five other pitchers threw in the game for IC –
Sean Kelly,
Keaton Blackwood,
Dan Allard,
Jack Picozzi and
Trevor Greene.
The Bombers are have a crucial three-game series with Rochester this weekend. IC is scheduled to host UR on Friday and travel to Rochester on Saturday.