Pitching Leads Ithaca; Highlanders Fall Short
ITHACA v Oneonta
The Ithaca College baseball team improved its record to 5-7 on the season with a doubleheader sweep of Oneonta, 2-1 and 1-0, on Thursday afternoon at Hoy Field on the campus of Cornell University. Ithaca's two starting pitchers allowed one run in a combined 12 innings pitched.
Game One: Ithaca 2, Oneonta 1
Oneonta strung together back-to-back singles with one out in the first, but a soft comebacker to junior
Brandon Diorio on the mound was turned into an inning-ending double play to escape an early threat.
In the bottom of the second, junior
Zach Pidgeon led off with a single up the middle and then classmate
Stephen Yanchus followed with a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. Pidgeon scored on a hard shot to third off the bat of junior
Cameron Oathout that scooted away from Oneonta's third baseman. Yanchus moved up on the play and scored on a sacrifice fly from senior
Matt Connolly to give Ithaca a 2-0 lead with one out.
That's all Diorio would need, as he cruised through six innings in just 73 pitches. Diorio scattered six hits and struck out three for his first victory of the season.
The Bombers threatened to tack on one more in the bottom of the fourth with two runners on and one out, but a caught stealing at third base erased the opportunity.
Oneonta scored once in the top of the fifth and had a chance to knot the game up at 2-2. A lead-off double came around to score on a bunt single and error. The Oneonta runner, who reached on the bunt, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt and advanced to third on a wild pitch. He was then thrown out at home on a ground ball back to Diorio for the second out.
In the sixth, Oneonta placed a pair of runners on once again on back-to-back singles, but Diorio forced a Red Dragons batter into a 4-6-3 double play to keep the game at 2-1.
Ithaca loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth on a single by sophomore
Trevor Thompson and walks to Pidgeon and Oathout. The Bombers were unable to score, however, as a fly out to left field ended the inning.
Senior
Jimmy Wagner picked up his first save of the season with a perfect seventh inning. Wagner produced three ground outs in the frame and tossed just eight pitches.
Game Two: Ithaca 1, Oneonta 0
Ithaca struck first in the night cap with the only run of the game in the bottom of the second on an RBI single to right field from Savacool. Connolly scored on the play after he reached on a double to left field.
In the top of the third, Oneonta placed two runners on with two outs. A failed pick off at second allowed the runners to move up a base, but on the ensuing pitch, senior
Cooper Belyea picked off a Red Dragons runner on a snap throw down to third to end the inning.
The Bombers escaped another threat in the top of the fifth with two runners on. The Oneonta baserunners reached on singles with one out, but a strikeout and fielder's choice stranded both on base.
Ithaca received another great pitching performance in the twin bill from senior
Zach Dickstein, who tossed six shutout innings with one strikeout and no walks. Dickstein surrendered five hits in his second win of the season and threw 71 pitching in the outing.
Wagner came in for his second save of the day with another perfect seventh inning and struck out two Red Dragons.
Medaille 9, HOUGHTON 7
The Houghton College baseball team lost 9-7 to the Medaille College Mavericks Thursday afternoon at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex.
Each team scored a run in the first inning, but the Mavericks broke it open in the top half of the second putting up four runs to take a 5-1 lead.
In the third Enrico Sukhdeo tripled to left field to lead off the inning. Then Michael Knapp hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Sukhdeo from third.
The Highlanders and Mavericks would score one run in the fifth to make the score 6-3.
In the bottom half of the sixth the Highlanders rallied. Tage Johnson led things off with a single to left field. A Maverick error allowed Johnson to advance to second and Brian Hodge to get on first. With two outs and runners at second and third Sukhdeo hit an infield single to score Johnson from third. Knapp answered the call again with a two RBI single, which knotted the game up at six.
The Mavericks would come right back and score three in the seventh to take a 9-6 lead.
The Highlanders scored a run in the bottom of the seventh, but could not get anything going in the eighth or ninth.
In the box score the Highlanders were led by Knapp who went three for five with four RBI.
Tanner Jones earned the win and Edward Monthie was given the loss.