ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team returned to Kostrinsky Field on Sunday for a Liberty League doubleheader against Skidmore College. The Bombers got off to a good start and bested Skidmore 4-1 and in the nightcap, IC came out hot scoring two runs each in each of the first three innings and ended up holding on for a 6-0 victory to complete the sweep.
Ithaca 4, Skidmore 1 (F)
Entering this afternoon's contest
Anna Cornell was fifth best in strikeouts with 159 this season within NCAA Division III and she retired the first three Skidmore batters via the punchout to begin Sunday's first game. The Bombers threatened to plate a run in the bottom of the first with
Elise Waddington ripping a two-out double and
Haley Petrucci walking and stealing second, but the Thoroughbreds pitcher Hailey Clarke was able to retire
Sydney Miranda on a groundout to get out of the jam.
Cornell kept dealing as she was locked in and struck out the next three batters to bring her total to six in a row to begin the game.
Hudson Hassler led off the bottom of the second with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a fielder's choice. She was driven in on a
Belle de Oliveira RBI single to the right center field gap.
The Thoroughbreds got their first runner on board with a lead-off walk to begin the third, but Cornell kept dealing striking out two more batters to bring her total to eight. The Bombers added to their lead in the bottom half of the frame scoring three runs on two hits as they were aided by a pair of Skidmore errors.
Kailen Winkelblech drove in a run on a fielder's choice within the scoring rally.
Skidmore got its first hit in the top of the fourth with the Liberty League batting leader Grace O'Connell singling up the middle and Sophia Finch roped a single to center field to put runners on second and third with one out.
Anna Cornell locked in and struck out Caitlyn Dion and Jessica Nachamie in order to move to the bottom half of the inning unscathed.
Cornell garnered her 13
th and 14
th strikeouts of the game in the top of the sixth and
Haley Petrucci gunned down Grace O'Connell who was attempting to steal to end the inning. The Thoroughbreds cut into the Bombers 4-0 deficit when Sophia Finich homered in the top of the seventh. It proved to be the final run of the game as the Bombers ended up outhitting the visitors by a 5-4 margin.
Elise Waddington finished 2-for-3 at the dish and scored a run.
Ithaca 6, Skidmore 0 (F)
The Bombers once again opened the scoring as both
Sela Scheinman and
Jessie Lopez both singled to lead off the bottom of the first and Scheinman scored on an
Elise Waddington sacrifice fly. Lopez would go on to make it 2-0 when she scored on a Thoroughbreds fielding error.
Ithaca added to its lead in the bottom half of the second making it 3-0 when
Olivia Comolli doubled home
Kailen Winkelblech and Scheinman would earn an RBI driving in another run making it 4-0 on a sacrifice fly.
Taylor Brunn ran into trouble in the top of the first walking three straight batters, but that proved to be the most trouble she got into as Skidmore managed a hit in the third, but Brunn worked around it.
Elise Waddington lined a double to lead off the bottom of the third and
Haley Petrucci followed it up with a single to put runners on second and third. Waddington would score on a
Sydney Miranda sacrifice fly and Ithaca made it 6-0 when Petrucci scored on a
Hudson Hassler infield single.
Neither team was able to claw a run home in the fourth or fifth innings as Natalie Mayne entered the game for Skidmore in relief and was able to limit the IC firepower.
Mady Rowell entered the game in relief as she inherited runners on first and second and she was able to strike out the next three Thoroughbreds in order to preserve the 6-0 lead. Rowell kept on dealing getting another strikeout in the seventh as her and Brunn combined for the shutout.
The Bombers return to action on Saturday, May 4 in their final doubleheader of the regular season where they will celebrate Senior Day against RIT. Game times are set for 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.
