ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Ithaca College softball team dropped both games of a Liberty League doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, falling to the University of Rochester as the Bombers moved to 21-10 on the season.
ROCHESTER 7, ITHACA 1 (F)
Ithaca generated consistent contact early but struggled to push runs across, leaving multiple runners stranded over the first five innings. The Bombers' best chances came in the second and fifth innings, putting runners in scoring position in both frames but coming up empty.
Rochester struck first in the opening inning on a solo home run by Riley Laygo and added a second run in the fifth after capitalizing on an Ithaca error. The game broke open in the sixth, as the YellowJackets scored five runs on three hits, highlighted by a pair of two-RBI singles, to extend the lead to 7-0.
Sydney Miranda paced Ithaca with multiple hits, while the Bombers continued to pressure Rochester's defense throughout the game, ultimately falling 7-1.
ROCHESTER 6, ITHACA 1 (F)
Rochester once again jumped out early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run homer by Laygo. Ithaca responded in the second, tying the game at 1-1 as
Cate Murray scored on an RBI double from
Isabella Maynard.
The YellowJackets reclaimed the lead in the third with another Laygo home run and pulled away in the fourth with a decisive two-out rally. After loading the bases, Mulholland launched a grand slam to left field, pushing Rochester's advantage to 6-1.
Ithaca continued to battle, collecting hits in the sixth and seventh innings, but was unable to mount a comeback. Rochester's pitching and defense held firm through the final frames to secure the sweep.
The Bombers claimed second in the Liberty League regular season with a 10-4 record, winning the tie breaker over RPI and will be the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Liberty League Softball Championship tournament.
