SCRANTON, Pa. - The Ithaca College softball team is looking to go back-to-back as Liberty League champions this season and advance even further than last year in the NCAA Tournament. Their pursuit of that goal began today as the Bombers opened the 2026 season in Scranton, Pennsylvania, with a doubleheader against the University of Scranton. The Bombers earned the sweep with a close 2-0 in game one before rolling to a 9-2 victory later in the afternoon.
 
ITHACA 2, UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON 0 (F)
First year Madison Collins earned her first collegiate start in the circle for the Bombers, striking out six batters over 84 pitches. Mady Rowel came in to close out the game for Ithaca.
 
Junior Elise Waddington led things off for the Bombers at the plate with a double, and senior Cate Murray followed with a single, but Ithaca was unable to convert the early hits into runs.
 
The Bombers broke through in the top of the second inning. Ava Rao started the rally with a double to left field, and Paige Cannon followed with another double that brought Rao home to give Ithaca a 1–0 lead. Scranton was unable to respond in the bottom half of the inning.
 
In the third inning, neither team capitalized on their opportunities. Lopez reached base for Ithaca, while the Royals recorded three outs on consecutive plays to keep the Bombers off the board.
 
Ithaca extended its lead in the fourth inning. Rao drew a walk, and Sydney Miranda followed with a double to right-center field that scored Rao, giving the Bombers a 2–0 advantage.
 
Murray led Ithaca offensively with two hits in three at-bats, while both Miranda and Cannon recorded RBIs to begin their seasons.
 
For the Royals, Emmie Feltenberger was the only player to record hits against Collins, tallying the team's only two hits in the opening game. Scranton pitcher Emma Douglas recorded five strikeouts in the loss.
 
ITHACA 9, UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON 2 (F)
The Bombers got on the board early in the second game of the doubleheader. Elise Waddington started the inning with a walk, and Jessie Lopez followed with a single. On a wild pitch from Scranton's Juliana Janezic, both runners advanced into scoring position at second and third. Cate Murray then fouled out to left field, but Waddington tagged up and raced home to give Ithaca a 1–0 lead.
 
The second inning featured limited action for both teams, though Ithaca's Taylor Brunn recorded a strikeout against Madison Byrwa to keep Scranton off the board.
 
In the fourth inning, the Bombers extended their lead. Anna Bello reached base with a single, and Sydney Miranda followed with a double that brought Bello home, marking Miranda's second RBI of the day. Shortly after, sophomore Emerson Poulin singled to left-center field to drive in Miranda and push the Bombers' lead to 3–0.
 
Ithaca added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning to double its lead to 6–0. Lopez began the rally with a single, followed by another single from Murray. Kailen Winkelblech was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Bello delivered again with a single to third base that scored Lopez. Miranda later popped out, but Murray tagged and scored on the play. Isabella Maynard capped the inning with a single that drove in Winkelblech.
 
The Bombers continued their strong offensive showing in the sixth inning. Waddington drew another walk and stole second before advancing to third on a groundout by Molly Gibson. Murray then reached base on a Scranton error, allowing Waddington to score and extend Ithaca's lead.
 
Scranton managed to get on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning, cutting the Bombers' lead to 7–2. Emmie Feltenberger and Celia Totaro both reached base on walks and later scored after Quin Doherty forced a fielding error at second base, allowing both runners to come home and leaving her on first base.
 
The Bombers continued their offensive momentum in the seventh inning. Sydney Miranda singled to left-center field, followed by a double to center from Isabella Maynard. Madison Schoenenberger was then hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Emerson Poulin stepped up and delivered a double, driving in both Miranda and Maynard to extend the Bombers' lead to 9–2.
 
Taylor Brunn recorded four strikeouts in the game, while Kahlen Cornell came in to close it out and added one strikeout of her own.
 
Taking both games in the doubleheader, the Bombers will next travel to Florida for their Spring Break trip, where they are set to face 10 different teams. Ithaca begins the stretch on Sunday, March 15, against No. 17 ranked Simpson College.