SCRANTON, Pa. - The Ithaca College baseball team was back on the diamond and they demonstrated some offseason rust in a 12-11 road loss to Scranton University. In a contest that took three hours, both teams combined for seven errors, four hit by pitches, 15 walks and four wild pitches, it was a bases loaded HBP in the bottom of the eighth that put the Royals out in front for good. 

This was the fourth time that the Bombers and the Royals have faced off on the diamond, after the Bombers won two out three from 2022-24, the Royals looked to even the score in this contest. The Royals entered the afternoon with four games under their belts in 2026, splitting the four, including a 11-6 victory over then No. 11 Case Western University on Feb. 28.

The Bombers got on the board early in the first. After the first two batters reached via errors, sophomore first baseman Ethan Fantel and senior catcher Ethan Daddabbo each picked up their first RBI of the season which combined with a sacrifice fly from senior second baseman Matt Curtis gave the Bombers a 3-0 cushion before the Royals came to bat. 

Junior pitcher Trevor Greene toed the rubber for Ithaca, and unfortunately the southpaw struggled in his first outing of the season, allowing eight runs (seven earned), over two plus innings of work. Command was an issue for Greene, walking five, including two walks, two wild pitches and a hit batter in the bottom of the second, allowing the Royals to even up the score at three runs apiece. 

In the top of the third, the Bombers had two triples that netted them three runs. Senior third baseman Lucas Orlovitz drove in Daddabbo and Curtis with his triple to right center, not to be outdone by the very next batter, first-year right fielder Isaiah Smith who found a gap in left center, scoring Orlovitz easily. Smith would score later in the inning via a sacrifice fly and Ithaca led 7-3. 

The Bombers continued to allow the Royals offense to fill up the bases without doing much offensively. Greene was unable to record an out in the third inning, as the Royals plated six runs in the frame on only three hits. Ben Ruth, a junior Ithaca native relieved Greene and after allowing one earned run, was able to get out of a bases loaded jam with consecutive strikeouts, limiting the damage for the Bombers. 

The Royals tacked on two more runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Senior designated hitter Vincent Napolitano doubled and was driven in by junior shortstop Jared Cassella. Cassella scored later in the inning on a wild pitch. Senior Sean Minnick pitched this inning for Ithaca, his first appearance in a game since UCL repair surgery in 2024. 

The Bombers pitching staff settled down after this. Sophomore Luke Zelinko retired the side in order with two strikeouts in the fifth, and first-year Richard Zangara fired scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh. On the offensive side the Bombers were able to put up a two-spot in both the fifth and sixth, evening the score at 11 apiece.

It seemed like both teams settled down as the game winded down to the final innings. After four scoreless frames starting in the bottom of the sixth, the Bombers trusted the first-year to go back out for a third inning of work in the bottom of the eighth. Zangara lost command, walking two and an error by senior Colin Dunn in left field loaded the bases for the Royals with two outs. 

After such a strong start to his Bomber career, Zangara was not able to finish the job, hitting senior third baseman Aiden Casey, senior right fielder Logan Mason scored and the Royals were back in front. 

After a leadoff single by Fantel in the top of the ninth, the Bombers attempted to get creative on the base path. They pinch ran first-year outfielder Anthony Mestre, who was promptly thrown by Royal's catcher Jimmy Lundari. Senior pitcher Ryan Boyd retired the following two batters, recording the win and closing the door on the Bombers. 

The Bombers will look to bounce back with two double-headers scheduled this weekend, starting with a trip to Maryland to take on Washington College at 11 a.m on Friday.