Ithaca and Stevens Pick up Two Wins; Naz and Houghton Split

Ithaca and Stevens Pick up Two Wins; Naz and Houghton Split

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ITHACA v ELMIRA
The Ithaca College softball team earned another conference sweep on Saturday after defeating Elmira twice in the final two conference games of the regular season. The Bombers defeated the Soaring Eagles by a score of 2-0 in game one before taking game two, 9-1, in five innings due to the NCAA mercy rule. The Bombers' overall record moves to 19-11, including a mark of 11-3 in Empire 8 play.

Game One: Ithaca – 2, Elmira – 0
Junior Laura Quicker earned the complete game shutout victory in game one, moving her record to 10-7 in the circle. She allowed just two hits and struck out a season-high seven batters.

Freshman Allie Colleran went 1-for-3 at the plate with a solo home run, her third of the season. Junior Jenna Tambasco went 1-for-3 with a double, marking her first career extra-base hit.

The Bombers struck first in the bottom of the second, scoring one run on two hits and one Elmira error in the frame. Tambasco hit a double to right center, before moving to third on a passed ball. The catcher threw to third on the play, but the third baseman was unable to handle the throw, allowing Tambasco to score from third.

Colleran homered to left center in the bottom of the following frame, giving Ithaca an insurance run to put the score at 2-0 in favor of the Bombers.

Quicker held the Soaring Eagles to just two hits in the remaining innings, securing the 2-0 win for the Bombers in game one.

 Game Two: Ithaca – 9, Elmira – 1 (5 Inn.)
Junior Allison Macari picked up the complete game win in game two after allowing just three hits and one earned run over 5.0 innings of play. She also recorded five strikeouts to push her record to 9-4.

Senior Nicole Ciricillo was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in game two, recording three singles and an RBI. Classmate Francesca Busa had a 3-for-4 outing with three singles and two RBI. Freshman Emily Bloom picked up the Bombers' lone extra-base hit with a triple in a 1-for-3 performance.

Ithaca jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, as junior Casey Gavin was able to score from second on a dropped ball in the outfield in the opening frame of game two.

The Bombers added four more runs in the second on four hits and three Elmira errors. After Bloom tripled to open the frame, Ciricillo singled to left field to score the first run of the inning. A sacrifice bunt from senior Nina Lindberg, followed by a single up the middle from sophomore Jessie Fleck resulted in another Bomber run, thanks to an Elmira outfield error on the play. An RBI single from Busa and another Soaring Eagle error turned into two more Ithaca runs, putting the score at 5-0.

After Elmira scored one run in the top of the third, the Bombers responded with two more scores in the bottom of the frame. A pinch-hit RBI single from freshman Hannah Peters and another RBI single from Busa accounted for the Bomber runs, pushing the score to 7-1.

Ithaca went on to score lone runs in the following two innings. A sacrifice fly from Lindberg in the fourth was followed by an unearned run due to an Elmira error in the fifth.  Ithaca's ninth run of the game pushed the score to 9-1 in the fifth inning, ending the contest due to the NCAA eight-run mercy rule.


STEVENS v UTICA
Stevens Institute of Technology freshmen softball players Lauren Shirley and Corinne Loncareach set career-highs in RBIs Saturday in the Ducks 12-3 and 13-7 Empire 8 Conference wins over Utica College.
 
The wins moved Stevens to 22-7-1 (8-4) while Utica fell to 14-17 (6-9). With the sweep, the Ducks have clinched a spot in next weekend's E8 Championship.
 
Stevens 12, Utica 3
 
A triple from junior Gavriella Risman-Jones sparked a six run inning for the Ducks in the first. A throwing error during the second at-bat played Risman-Jones for the first run before a passed ball made it 2-0. Shirley continued the rally with a two-run homer run before Risman-Jones' RBI single capped the inning.
 
Utica answered with two in their half of the first, but the Ducks responded quickly in the second with a two-RBI triple from Shirley. The runs were plenty for senior Kayla Berardi who put-up zeroes in the second and third.
 
A two-run home run from sophomore Emily Sellitti in the fourth ballooned the lead further before sophomoreJessica Rees added to it with a two-run homer of her own in the fifth.
 
Utica tried to extend the game with a run in the bottom of the fifth, but it's as close as they would get the rest of the afternoon.
 
Shirley paced the Ducks with three hits and a career-high six RBIs, while Rees' home run gives her the single season record.
 
Stevens 13, Utica 7
 
For the second time on the afternoon, the Ducks jumped out to an early lead in the first. With runners on first and second, freshman Olivia Gemma singled home two with a single to right. Utica bounced-back with the first out of the inning, but Sellitti added to the lead after reaching on an error to score one more.
 
The Ducks added another in the second off Risman-Jones' RBI double to right before adding two more in the third highlighted by a two-RBI double from freshman Corinne Loncar.
 
Utica mustered its own rally with two in the third to pull within 7-3, but a solo home run from junior Sydney Spitzand a two-run home run from Shirley ballooned the Stevens lead to 10-3.
 
The Pioneers clawed back to make it 10-5, but Loncar gave the Ducks their breathing room back in the sixth two a two-RBI single. Utica rallied again in the seventh with a run before loading the bases, but Gemma induced two straight outs to end the game.
 
Loncar led the Ducks offensively with a career-high four RBIs while Gemma added two to help her own cause. 


HOUGHTON v NAZARETH
Houghton College and Nazareth Colelge split an E8 doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the Kerr-Pegula Athletic Complex. The Highlanders won game one by the score of 9-8 in the tenth inning and the Golden Flyers rallied to take game two by the score of 10-3.

Game One: Houghton 9, Nazareth 8
In game one the Golden Flyers scored three runs in the first scoring three runs on three hits.

The Highlanders came right back in the bottom half of the inning. Tiffany roped a double into the gap in left center that scored Huston from first. With two outs and the bases loaded Schenk hit a two RBI single to scoreBailey Shattell (Syracuse, NY, Faith Heritage) and Morgan York (Canisteo, NY, Canisteo-Greenwood). The next play the Golden Flyers committed an error that allowed Beirne to score from second and gave the Highlanders a 4-3 lead.

The Highlanders extended their lead in the bottom of the second when the Highlanders strung together three hits to score two runs.  Adrienne Huston (New Waterford, OH, Crestview High School) led the inning off with a triple. Tiffany followed that up with a RBI double and Georgianna Stoj (Depew, NY, Sacred Heart Academy) hit a single to right that scored her to give the Highlanders a 6-3 lead.

After a scoreless third inning the Golden Flyers regained the lead in the fourth scoring four runs on six hits.

The Highlanders took the lead back in the bottom half of the inning when Schenk hit a double that scored two runs and gave the Highlanders an 8-7 lead.

After a scoreless fifth the Golden Flyers scored the tying run the top of the sixth.

Both teams failed to score in the seventh and the game went into extras tied at eight runs apiece.

After a scoreless eighth and ninth innings the coaches decided to use the international rule when they put a runner on second to start off the inning. The Golden Flyers failed to score again, but with Hayner on second the Highlanders' Carolin Strasswimmer (Greenwich, NY, Greenwich/Adirondack CC) laid down a bunt to mover her to third and reached safely after another Golden Flyers error.  Then Tiffany laid down the bunt for the safety squeeze, which scored Hayner from third and gave the Highlanders the win.

Game Two: Nazareth 10, Houghton 3
In the second game, the Golden Flyers surrendered a run in the second, third and fourth innings to allow Houghton to an early 3-0 lead. Nazareth closed the game with three runs in the fifth, three more in the sixth, and four runs in the seventh to overwhelm the Highlanders.

Junior Morgan Ross finished 3-for-4 with 3 RBIs, and sophomore Meghan Barry was 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs to lead Nazareth's offensive attack. Sophomore Emily Graham, junior Maureen Rogers, freshman Stephanie Mongelli, and Barry each had a double. Graham leads the team with eight doubles on the season. Graham, Mongelli, Barry, and sophomore Nicole White each had two hits. Rogers entered Saturday's games leading the team in hits with 30. SeniorSophia Rhoades and Ross had 28 and 27 hits, respectively, entering the weekend.

Senior Nicole Bayona earned the victory to improve to 5-6 on the season. She scattered six hits in seven innings and allowed two earned runs. She also struck out two batters.

Sarah Beirne pitched the first five innings and allowed three runs on four hits. Jessica Hayner ended up taking the loss, falling to 2-9 on the season, after she allowed three runs and four hits in the sixth inning. Morgan York closed the game and allowed Nazareth's four runs in the seventh. In the first four innings, Beirne held the Golden Flyers to two hits.