CLERMONT, Fla. – The Ithaca College softball team returned to action Friday for its final day of THE Spring Games, opening the day against Eastern Connecticut State before closing the trip with a matchup against No. 14 University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. The Bombers offense was quieted by the Warriors in a 3-0 loss and in their final game of their Spring Break trip they fell to the nationally ranked Warhawks by an 8-6 score.
 
EASTERN CONNECTICUT STATE 3, ITHACA 0 (F)
Both offenses were quiet until the bottom of the second inning, when Eastern Connecticut broke the scoreless tie. Elizabeth Mitchell led off with a double down the left-field line off Mady Rowell and later scored when Abby Thompson doubled two batters later.
 
The Warriors doubled their lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth when Grace Jenkins grounded into a fielder's choice, allowing Julia Boya to score. They added an insurance run in the sixth, as Mitchell recorded her second RBI of the day by driving in Ashlyn Kenefick on a sacrifice fly.
 
Mady Rowell pitched 5.0 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits. The Bombers collected five hits but left six runners stranded. Kailen Winkelblech and Anna Bello each contributed late offense, recording a single and a double, respectively, over the final two frames.
 
NO. 14 WISCONSIN-WHITEWATER 8, ITHACA 6 (F)
Taylor Brunn got the start in the circle and ran into early trouble, walking Dani Peshia, hitting Emma Giese, and issuing a walk to Rachel Radish that forced in the Warhawks' first run. Brunn got out of the jam by punching out Baley Berndt.
 
The Bombers looked for an immediate response in the bottom of the first, as Elise Waddington led off with a double down the left‑field line and Molly Gibson worked a four‑pitch walk. Sydney Miranda would drive in Waddington to knot the score at 1-1 with a single up the middle. Madi DeBennette stranded three runners by inducing a fielder's choice off the bat of Ava Rao to end the inning.
 
Ithaca pushed the lead to 3-1 with a pair of unearned runs. Haley Petrucci opened the inning with a single, and Elise Waddington added her second double of the day. Both runners scored when Kailen Winkelblech reached on an error by the Warhawks' shortstop.
 
The Warhawks tied the game at three in the top of the third, as Kaitlyn Weidemann drove in Emma Giese with an RBI single and Liv Ybarra added the second run of the frame with a fielder's choice. Wisconsin–Whitewater continued its rally into the fourth inning, scoring three runs on three hits off Kahlen Cornell.
 
Ithaca again looked for an immediate response in the bottom of the fourth, as Haley Petrucci and Jessie Lopez led off the inning with singles off reliever Oliva Perez. The Bombers pulled within 6-4 when Molly Gibson brought home Haley Petrucci on a fielder's choice.
 
The No. 14‑ranked team in the country added an insurance run when Taylor Koehler doubled home a run to make it 7-4. In the bottom of the inning, Ithaca's Sydney Miranda drew a walk and was followed by an Anna Bello single. Miranda came around to score when Ava Rao reached on a throwing error, and Bello later crossed the plate on a bases‑loaded walk to Jessie Lopez.
 
Holding a one‑run lead, the Warhawks added the game's final run to make it 8-6, as Belle Lapacek scored an unearned run in the sixth inning. They were set down in order in the seventh by junior Mady Rowell. Ithaca outhit UWW 11-9 as Elise Waddington, Anna Bello, Isabella Maynard and Haley Petrucci each had multiple hits.
 
The Bombers fall to 5-5 overall and will return to action on Saturday, March 28 when they host SUNY Oneonta for a doubleheader on Kostrinsky Field at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.