Though the Blue and Gold’s bats were lively in the first game of their doubleheader against St. John Fisher College on Friday, the result was a 15–14 loss. It was not until the second game that the Bombers’ offensive firepower actually clicked with the team.

Just moments after St. John Fisher pitcher Amanda Shevchuk finished her warm-up throws, the yellow ball pinged off Ithaca College leadoff batter Annmarie Forenza’s bat and sailed over Kostrinky Field’s left field fence, proving that, despite the loss, their previous 14-run effort was a sign of things to come.

The signature ping of the bat connecting with the ball did not stop that afternoon, as the Bombers went on to win 9–0 to finish the day with a split doubleheader. Friday’s sunset did not hamper the offensive onslaught though, as the Blue and Gold came back the next day and defeated Nazareth College by margins of 13–1 and 17–1. The Bombers’ run total for Friday and Saturday’s games was 53 runs on 63 hits, bringing their record to 5–1 in the Empire 8.

Though always looking for a good day offensively, this explosion still made sophomore third baseman Allison Greaney raise her eyebrows.

“I don’t think we were expecting that many,” she said. “To go out on the field and see that number on the scoreboard is amazing.”

Even Nazareth College senior Lizzie Barlow said she could not believe her eyes.

“Ithaca hit the snot out of the ball,” she said. “Scoring nearly 50 runs in two days is unbelievable. With all of our motivation going into today from struggling in our previous games, it was an embarrassment for us.”

The Bombers fought their opponent’s motivation with some of their own, as this conference season is bringing a new sense of urgency and competitiveness.

“We kind of struggled a little before, and we made the E8 our main focus,” Greaney said. “And ever since then everybody wanted to go out and give it our all, and I think that is really showing.”

With numbers in the teens on the Ithaca side of the scoreboard all weekend long, that sight and feeling gave the team a new shot of confidence, which was missing prior to the conference schedule. In games like that, the positive sentiment kept growing because the Blue and Gold knew they could score five or six runs at any moment.

“It’s such a good feeling,” Greaney said. “You score all these runs and play good defense, you want to go out there and do that again. You play better when you are confident. I think that plays a big part in the outcome.”

Ithaca had not scored more than nine runs in one game before this weekend’s three games of double digit runs.  

The next challenge though will be sustaining that momentum throughout a six-day layoff before the team’s next game. The biorhythm of a player can change unexpectedly, especially with uneven scheduling. Junior Caitlin Ryan said the way the team practices will help it sustain the good play.

“We just need to keep the same intensity in practice in order to keep the momentum up for the rest of the season,” she said.

By making each practice as gamelike as possible, the Bombers are always ready for that type of atmosphere.

“If we just keep up that mentality, it’ll be fine,” Greaney said. “It should especially help after this game because we are definitely in good moods.”