Empire-EIGHT! Ithaca Defeats St. John Fisher to Claim Eighth-Straight Baseball Title

5/11/2019 8:05:58 PM

For the eighth consecutive season, Ithaca can call themselves Empire 8 Conference champions as the Bombers took down St. John Fisher, 8-5, on Saturday afternoon at Cornell's Hoy Field. Ithaca has won all five E8 Tournaments since the conference began sponsoring a postseason championshi, and now have won 17 of the last 19 E8 titles.

Ithaca also extends its winning streak to 12 straight games and will find out on Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. during the NCAA Selection Show where it will play next as part of the NCAA Baseball Championship.

CLOSER LOOK
Senior Adam Gallagher was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, after he went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs in the championship game. His first homer broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the third inning, and the second gave the Bombers a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth.

The Bombers made a statement early in the game as senior Matt Carey crushed a grand slam to left field in the bottom of the second inning to give Ithaca a 4-0 lead. 

Fisher erased the four-run deficit in the top of the third with five hits to knot the game at 4-4. The Cardinals began the frame with back-to-back singles and then both runners move into scoring position on a wild pitch. Fisher then got a key two-out, two-run single to center from Thomas Pasquale, which ended Ithaca's scoreless innings pitched streak in the tournament at 20.2. Allen Murphy then drove a single to center and Antony Mantova followed with a towering two-run double off the left field fence to tie the game.

Ithaca would answer in the bottom half of the third as Gallagher drilled a lead-off solo homer to left to make the score 5-4. After a pair of groundouts, Cam Fuoti ripped a double down the left field line and scored on a base hit from sophomore Garrett Callaghan to put Ithaca up, 6-4.  The Bombers tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the eighth on a lead-off solo shot by Gallagher and then a single to right by Fuoti to bring in Sam Little to make the score 8-4.

Fisher did not go down without a fight, however, as the Cardinals loaded the bases in the top of the ninth with a base hit, error and a hit by pitch within five pitches. The Cardinals pushed a run home on a single, but senior Matt Eiel secured the win with a strikeout and fielder's choice to third to end the game and give the Bombers the title.

The Bombers will be making their 48th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament next week and will find out who, when and where they play next at 12:30 p.m. on Monday. A link to the Selection Show will be shared on the @BomberSports Facebook and Twitter accounts prior to the show.

2019 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Schedule
Thursday, May 9
Game 1 - No. 1 Ithaca 5, No. 4 Utica 0 
Game 2 - No. 3 St. John Fisher 8, #2 Stevens 4 
Game 3 - No. 3 Stevens, No. 4 Utica 
 
Friday, May 10
Game 4 - #1 Ithaca 4, #3 St. John Fisher 0
Game 5 - #3 St. John Fisher 4, #2 Stevens 3 
 
Saturday, May 11
Game 6 - No. 1 Ithaca 8, #3 St. John Fisher 5

 - Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staff at Ithaca - 

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ