ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team rolled in its first game of the Liberty League Championship on Thursday at Cornell's Booth Field as the Bombers took down RPI, 13-1. Ithaca, which is now 25-13 on the season, will play the winner of Skidmore and Clarkson tomorrow at 1 p.m.
The Bombers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as
Ethan McDonough blasted a two-run home run to dead centerfield after
Andrew McDermott led off with a hit by pitch.
RPI got on the board in the top of the fourth on a single to right field to make it 2-1. In the prior at bat, McDonough made a sliding catch in right-center field that kept the run from scoring and took away at least a double from the Engineer's batter.
IC plated six runs on six hits, all with two outs, in the bottom of the fourth inning to break the game open at 8-1. After the second out was recorded, the Bombers strung together five straight hits to bring home three runs and then the fourth scored on a bases loaded walk. The final two runs of the inning scored on a two-run base hit by
Connor Pedersen. McDonough,
Camden Laney,
Ethan Fantel and
Ethan Daddabbo all notched RBIs in the frame.
Riley Brawdy extended IC's lead to 10-1 in the bottom of the seventh with a no-doubt, two-run home run to right field.
Ithaca reached its 10-run lead in the eighth as Pedersen drove in
Collin Feeney, who led off with a single and then stole his way to third. Brawdy then just missed a grand slam as his drive to right was robbed by a leaping grab, but it still resulted in a sacrifice fly to make it 12-1. Another sac fly, this time from McDermott, extended the spread to 13-1 as Pedersen crossed the plate.
Jack Picozzi improved to 3-2 on the season as he tossed a complete game as he scattered six hits and struck out five batters. Picozzi cruised through the early stages of his outing as he averaged 13 pitches per inning through five and finished the day with 110 pitches thrown.
McDonough, Pedersen and Brawdy all drove in three runs in the victory.
All games on Friday will also be held at Cornell.
