ITHACA, N.Y. – The No. 24 ranked Ithaca College softball team took on the University of Rochester Yellowjackets on Sunday afternoon in a battle of the top two teams within the Liberty League. The Bombers took game one, 2-0 before Rochester fought back to earn the split with a 1-0 win in game two. With Sunday's split, Ithaca now stand at 21-6 overall (9-3 LL) and the Yellowjackets remain atop the conference at 20-10 overall and 10-2 in Liberty League action.
Game 1: Ithaca 2, Rochester 0 (F)
The Bombers struck first in the bottom of the first inning, showcasing their speed on the base paths.
Haley Petrucci singled to right field, bringing home
Jessie Lopez from second base with one out, which was good for her 21
st RBI of the season.
In the top of the second,
Anna Cornell faced some trouble after issuing a one-out walk. However, she recorded back-to-back strikeouts to halt the Yellowjackets' momentum. She then allowed a leadoff walk in the top of the third but easily escaped trouble with two ground outs and a fly out.
Ithaca loaded the bases in the bottom of the third inning with one out but couldn't capitalize, ending the inning with a strikeout and a ground out. In the bottom of the fifth, Petrucci advanced to third on a dropped flyball, but the Bombers couldn't cash in as
Anna Bello hit a sharp line drive to the shortstop to end the inning.
The Bombers finally added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth with some two-out magic.
Sela Scheinman hit a double following back-to-back singles from
Sydney Miranda and
Belle de Oliveira, giving Ithaca a 2-0 lead.
Cornell threw seven shutout innings, allowing only two hits and striking out four, leading the Bombers to a 2-0 win in the first game of the doubleheader.
Game 2: Rochester 1, Ithaca 0 (F)
The YellowJackets threatened in the top half of the second inning as Jensen Sminchak and Molly Mason produced back-to-back hits that saw runners on second and third with one-out. However,
Mady Rowell was able to lock in as she escaped the jam by getting Bailey Nicholoff to pop up to
Sela Scheinman.
The scoreless deadlock was finally broken in the top of the sixth when Rochester's Rowan Mulholland homered over the left field fence. Mulholland got all of it as the wind was blowing in on Sunday.
The 1-0 lead proved enough for UR as Maddie White earned the win, pitching a complete game shutout, allowing three hits while striking out a pair.
Mady Rowell (9-2) took the loss as she pitched all 7.0 innings where she gave up the lone run on eight hits.
Ithaca College next heads to Alfred, N.Y. for a non-conference twinbill at Alfred University on Thursday, May 1. Game times are slated for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
