TROY, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team was able to move onto the fifth game of the Liberty League Championship tournament on Friday afternoon as the Bombers first defeated RIT by a 9-1 score in the 12:30 p.m. contest. IC would then move onto a showdown with the host Engineers but bowed out in an elimination game with No. 15 RPI defeating Ithaca 1-0.
 
Ithaca 9, RIT 1 (F-5 innings)
 
The Bombers attempting to fightback through the double-elimination tournament began its Friday taking on RIT with the loser being eliminated from the Liberty League Championships. Taylor Brunn got the start in the pitching circle and despite walking the leadoff hitter, she was able to compose herself and recorded three-straight outs. In the bottom of the first, Jessie Lopez drew a two-out walk, stole second but Jessica Majot was able to get Haley Petrucci to ground out to end the inning.
 
Brunn worked a perfect top half of the second and the Bombers were immediately threatening in the bottom half with Kailen Winkelblech getting on after she was hit, and Hudson Hassler laid down a perfectly placed bunt putting runners on both first and second. The bases were then juiced when Ava Rao singled and then Belle de Oliveira came up clutch driving in two runs. Rao would score one batter later making it 3-0 and Ithaca would add an insurance run when Sela Scheinman stole second, and on the throw to second was misplayed allowing de Oliveira to score.
 
RIT threatened to score in the top of the fourth inning as Lillian Rienstra singled and worked her way into scoring position but when Erin Ozminkowski walked on a wild pitch, Haley Petrucci was able to recover and fire it to Brunn who applied a tag on Rienstra who was attempting to score but the final out of the inning was recorded by IC.
 
The Bombers were really able to break the game open in the bottom half of the fourth frame scoring four more runs on four hits. Hudson Hassler and Sydney Miranda were able to lead it off with a walk and single, respectively. Hassler would score on an RBI single from Belle de Oliveira that was immediately followed by another RBI single, this time from Sela Scheinman. Jessie Lopez drove in the other two runs when she lined a single to right field putting IC up 8-0.
 
RIT was able to plate a run off reliever Mady Rowell making it 8-1 when Elise Guth delivered an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning. The Bombers would once again have an immediate response as they ended up run-ruling the Tigers when Anna Bello was driven in on an RBI single off the bat of Ava Rao.
 
Brunn earned her seventh win of the season to improve to 7-1 and the Bombers outhit RIT 8-3, with both Sela Scheinman and Belle de Oliveira managing two hits apiece.
 
No. 15 RPI 1, Ithaca 0 (F)

It was another close contest between these two teams as they played to a pair of extra inning affairs during the regular season and Friday was no different. Neither Ithaca or RPI were able to muster much in the early innings with both Anna Cornell and Brooke Sroczinski spinning the ball well in the pitching circle.
 
The Bombers produced back-to-back one-out single with Elise Waddington and Jessie Lopez both reaching base in the top of the first. They were left stranded when Sroczinski was able to retire both Petrucci and Winkelblech via a strikeout.
 
Anna Cornell got out of a big jam in the bottom of the fourth as she began the frame by striking out Evann McDowell but then would hit Liv Vizzini. Cornell would then induce an inning ending double play groundball that was fielded by Sela Scheinman. The junior shortstop would lay down a perfectly placed bunt to begin the top of the sixth, but once again Sroczinski escaped the frame.
 
The Engineers were able to plate the lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth with clutch two-out hitting coming from Evann McDowell who provided the game-winning hit on a triple that drove in Sydney Speanburg. Speanburg had led off the inning with a single and later stole a base to set up the go-ahead score for RPI. Sroczinski worked around a lead-off Kailen Winkelblech walk to earn the win for the Engineers.
 
Ithaca (26-14) will now wait and see if they receive an at-large bid to compete in the NCAA Regional. The NCAA selection show will be broadcast on NCAA.com on Monday, May 13 at 11 a.m.