Bombers Win; Highlanders Split; Elmira's Debut; Canton Falls
ITHACA
Head Coach
George Valesente of the Ithaca College baseball team earned his 1,000th career victory as Ithaca's coach with a 2-0 win over Spalding in Redlands, Calif. on Saturday afternoon. Ithaca concludes its spring break trip with a 2-5 record.
After a grueling week of high scoring and extra-inning games, the Bombers needed a shutdown performance from their pitching staff, and that's exactly what seniors
Jimmy Wagner and
Andrew Sanders delivered.
Wagner picked up his first win of the season in six innings pitched. He struck out seven hitters and allowed just five hits with two walks. Over the six-inning gem, only one runner for Spalding was able to reach third base.
Sanders was equally as impressive in a three-inning save. He no-hit the Golden Eagles over the final three frames and struck out one batter. Sanders entered the game in the seventh after Wagner gave up a hit and walk to start the at bat. Sanders stepped in and retired Spalding's next three batters.
After an error began things in the top of the eighth, Spalding sacrificed that runner to second on a bunt. Sanders followed up with a pick off at second to erase the runner in scoring position.
The Bombers scored both of their runs in the bottom of the first on an RBI single from junior
Zach Pidgeon that plated senior
Christian Brown with two outs. Brown led off Ithaca's inning with an infield single and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt. Pidgeon made his way around the bases on a passed ball and two errors on Spalding to account for Ithaca's second run.
Brown was the only player in the game to post a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with a run scored. Sophomore
Trevor Thompson doubled in a 1-for-4 day at the plate, while Pidgeon made the most of his one at bat (1-for-1, run scored and RBI). Five other Bombers picked up bat hits in the win.
HOUGHTON
The Highlanders baseball team lost 8-2 to the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers in their first game of the day, but beat the Elmira Soaring Eagles 20-7 in the night game at home on Saturday..
In game one RIT jumped out to 3-0 lead in the top of first inning.
The Tigers continued to add to their lead and led 5-0 going into the bottom of the third.
The Highlanders got on the board in the bottom half of the third on
Enrico Sukhdeo's (Georgetown, Guyana) RBI single that scored
Patrick Parsons (Wellsboro, PA).
The Highlanders could not produce enough offense to keep up with the Tiger's, though.
Tigers pitcher Conor Herlihy earned the win while
Victor Cavalieri (Rochester, NY) was handed the loss.
Offensively the Highlanders were led by
Tage Johnson (Jamestown, NY) who went two for four with a double and RBI.
In the second game of the day the Soaring Eagles got on the board first scoring four runs in the top half of the first inning.
In the third inning the Highlanders got on the board on
Michael Knapp (Brockport, NY) single that scored Sukhdeo. The Highlanders added on two more in the third to make it 4-3.
The Highlanders blew the game open scoring 10 runs in the fifth and sixth innings. The offensive surge was led by Johnson who hit two triples, driving in five runs. After Elmira scored twice in the top of the eighth, Houghton continued the offensive onslaught with seven more runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning. Johnson,
Jens Omdal (Olympia, WA, River Ridge) and McKay each singled in a run, while
Joseph Gilligan (Ringwood, NJ, Lakeland Regional) had a two run single.
Timothy Leathersich (Lima, NY, Lima Christian) also singled in the inning.
For the game Johnson went three for six and batted in six runs.McKay walked four times, scored four runs and stole three bases. Knapp was two for two with three runs scored. The Highlanders produced 11 stolen bases.
Parsons also went two for four with four RBI's in the game against Elmira.
The win was given to
Edward Monthie (Albany, NY) who pitched five innings, only allowed three earned runs, and struck out three Elmira batters. The loss was given to Davis Salzman.
ELMIRA
After weeks of postponements and cancellations, the Elmira College baseball team finally took the field for the first and second games in program history. EC travelled to Houghton College for a pair of non-conference games, falling to RIT in their first-ever game, 18-2, before dropping the night-cap to Houghton, 20-7.
Game One vs. RIT (L, 2-18)
Stats are unavailable at this time. Please check back for stats later.
Game Two vs. Houghton (L, 7-20)
The Soaring Eagles wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard as they scored four runs in the top half of the first inning.
Mike Burghardt'18 got things started with an RBI single, then scored moments later on a
Dennis Rudolph'18 two-RBI single. EC's last run was a result of an error by Houghton's third baseman, bringing Rudolph home. EC's starting pitcher,
Joe Kidd '18, had things rolling, but the Highlanders chipped into Elmira's lead with three runs in the third inning.
The Purple and Gold created a bit more cushion with a run in the fifth, but Houghton countered in the bottom half with five runs to take an 8-5 lead. The Highlanders added another five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, making it a 13-5 game. EC got two runs in the top of the eighth, but a seven-run eighth inning from the Highlanders brought the game to its 20-7 final.
Kidd pitched four and one-third innings, allowing seven runs while striking out five. Elmira posted 13 hits in the game, with three each by
Hayden Rothenberg '17 and Burghardt.
SUNY CANTON
The SUNY Canton baseball team struggled to get the bats going finishing with six hits in a 7-1 loss to Stockton University on Saturday morning at Jenkins High School.
The Ospreys (5-4) put four runs on the board in the first two innings to take control of the game early. Stockton would add three more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 7-0 lead heading to the seventh inning.
The Roos (3-8) would get one back in the bottom of the seventh.
Brandon Welch (Constable, NY) led off the inning with a double to left field. After a pair of struck outs
Matt Hall (Palmyra, NY) came through with an RBI single to right to get SUNY Canton on the board.
SUNY Canton was able to get one runner on in the ninth inning as
Gerald Abillar (Orangeburg, NY) led off with a single, his first hit of the season. However, the Osprey got the Roos on a pop up to short and a pair of fly outs to end the game.
Robbie Osterer (Ottawa, ON) took the loss on the mound giving up five earned in five innings while striking out three.
Juan Rosa (Naguabo, Puerto Rico) and
Keenan Shannon (Ballston Spa, NY) saw two innings each in relief without giving up an earned run. Aidan Ryan earned the win for the Ospreys.