ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team took both ends of a Liberty League Crossover Series doubleheader against Vassar at Freeman Field on May 3 as the Bombers posted an 11-1 win in the opener and overcame a five-run deficit to walk-off, 9-5, in game two on a grand slam by
Matt Curtis. IC is now 28-9 on the season and will find out by Sunday who and where they will play in next weekend's Liberty League Tournament.
GAME ONE: Ithaca 11, Vassar 1 (7 Innings)
Vassar appeared to jump out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as a lead-off walk advanced on a sacrifice bunt and came around to score on a base hit, but was ruled out for missing third base.
In the bottom of the first,
Collin Feeney reached on a one-out and walk and then
Louis Fabbo singled through the right side of the infield to tie IC's career hits record with 220. Two pitches later, Feeney scored on a wild pitch to give IC a 1-0 lead. The Bombers loaded the bases on a walk to
Camden Laney and bunt single by
Ethan McDonough to load the bases, but an inning-ending double play kept the score at 1-0.
The Bombers threatened in the bottom of the second by putting two runners in scoring position on base hits by
Ethan Rothstein and
Riley Brawdy, and later loaded the bases on a walk to Feeney, but a strikeout kept IC off the board.
IC loaded the bases once again in the bottom of the third as Laney led off with a single and McDonough and
Tyler Pugliese drew walks with no one out. Curtis drove in Laney on a fielder's choice to extend the lead to 2-0 and a groundout by Rothstein brought in McDonough for a 3-0 advantage.
Fabbo broke IC's hits record with a single to centerfield which extended the Bombers' lead to 4-0 as Shashaty scored on the play. Vince Roman (1987-90) held the record for 34 years as he collected 220 hits in 168 games played. Fabbo reached the milestone in his 157th career game.
For the third time in the game, IC filled the bases in the bottom of the fifth on a base hit by Pugliese and walks to Rothstein and Brawdy with one out. A walk to Feeney plated Pugliese to give the Bombers a 5-0 lead with two outs, but that's all IC could produce as a fly out ended the frame.
Vassar got on the board in the top of the sixth with a lead-off solo home run to left.
Ithaca answered in the bottom of the sixth with a lead-off walk to Laney and a double down the line by McDonough to force a pitching change by Vassar. On the first pitch after the change, Pugliese drove home both runners –
Colin Dunn entered as a pinch runner for McDonough – on a single to left to make it 7-1. Another run scored on a base hit through the left side by Brawdy to plate Curtis and then Shashaty followed with an RBI single to make it a 9-1 game as Rothstein scored. A sac fly from Feeney brought home Brawdy for a 10-1 difference and Laney staked the Bombers to an 11-1 lead on a base hit up the middle.
The game ended after the top of the seventh due to the 10-run rule as Vassar was unable to produce anymore offense.
Leyner improved to 7-2 on the year as he tossed 6.0 innings and gave up one run on nine hits with three strikeouts.
Ithaca produced 13 hits in the win as six different players had two hits.
GAME TWO: Ithaca 9, Vassar 5
Vassar got off to a similar start in the nightcap as its first two runners reached and then advanced on a sacrifice bunt. The Brewers took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly on the next plate appearance, but they stranded runners on the corners.
The Brewers tacked on another run in the third, 2-0, as they loaded the bases on two walks and a hit by pitch with two outs. A passed ball allowed the lead runner to score.
Vassar continued the offensive pressure in the third inning as the Brewers loaded the bases once again. A fielder's choice extended the Brewers' lead to 3-0 and then a base hit to left made it 4-0.
The Bombers finally got on the board in the bottom of the fifth to make it 4-1. Curtis led off with a ground-rule double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a fielder's choice off the bat of Shashaty.
In the bottom of the sixth, Laney led off with a ringing double to dead centerfield to knock Vassar starter Addison Lee out of the game. Lee struck out nine batters in his outing. After the change, Vassar retired the next three batters in order to keep its three-run lead.
The Brewers filled the bases again in the seventh and scored another run, 5-1, on a wild pitch but
Dan Kellachan hunkered down and struck out the side to prevent further damage.
IC got that run back quickly in the bottom half as Rothstein reached on a dropped third strike and then moved over to third on a two-base error on a Brawdy at bat. Shashaty made it 5-2 with a single to right and Feeney sent a sac fly to left for a 5-3 game. Miscommunication on a groundball to third led to a throwing error and
Shashaty scored from first to cut IC's deficit to 5-4.
The Bombers tied the game at 5-5 in the bottom of the eighth on a single through the right side by Feeney, which plated Rothstein from second with two outs.
Conor Burns entered in relief in the ninth inning and made quick work of the Vassar offense as he retired the side in six pitches.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Bombers loaded the bases on walks to Laney and
Logan Scully and McDonough beat out a bunt for a single. Curtis walked-off with a towering grand slam to left field to account for the 9-5 final score.
