The Ithaca College softball team’s biggest challenge of the season to date came on April 12, as the Bombers were swept in a doubleheader by the No. 18 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers by scores of 4–2 in 10 innings and 7–5 in nine. Despite the sweep, the pitching efforts of junior pitcher Anna Cornell were enough to make history on the Bombers’ ground.
First Game:
After a disappointing 11–0 loss against Alfred University on April 9, the South Hill squad looked to avoid losing consecutive home games for the first time since being swept by the University of Rochester Yellowjackets almost a year ago to the day, on April 16, 2023. This was not a simple task for the Bombers, as their opponent on the day was 17–0–1 and a nationally-ranked Engineers side.
Following an epic 11 pitch at-bat that included seven straight foul balls, first-year second baseman Elise Waddington drove the 12th pitch over the left field wall to give the Bombers a 1–0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. The Engineers quickly matched the Bombers’ run with one of their own, after the first of several Bombers’ errors put a runner in scoring position for Engineers sophomore designated hitter Sydney Speanburg, who smacked a double off the left field fence to even up the game at one apiece in the top of the second.
From that point, no runs would be scored until the tenth inning. Calling it a “pitcher’s duel” may be a bit generous, as plenty of base hits and extra base hits were being made but not capitalized on. When the dust settled at the bottom of the ninth, Cornell had allowed six hits with just one run, none earned, no walks and 20 strikeouts.
The 21 strikeouts Cornell would record was enough to break the Bombers’ single-game record but not enough to get the victory, as another error and two more hits created a 4–1 lead that the Engineers would not relinquish. A bottom of the tenth ground out from sophomore designated hitter Kailen Winkelblech was enough to score the automatic runner from third for the Bombers, but it was too little, too late as the team dropped game one 4–2.
Nearly 11 runners were left on base for the Bombers, an eye watering total that junior shortstop Sela Scheinman said was disappointing not to capitalize on.
“I mean, the hits felt really good in the moment,” Scheinman said. “We just struggled to get those secondary hits in the inning to get the runs in.”
Second Game:
Controversy would mar what was another electric extra innings game for the Bombers, as controversial calls kept the Bombers from avoiding the sweep in the series. The Bombers, who were now fighting to avoid their seventh loss in eight games against the Engineers, came out swinging. Doubles from Waddington, Scheinman and sophomore catcher Haley Petrucci, along with a single by senior center fielder Belle de Oliveira got the South Hill squad out to a bottom of the first 3–0 lead. However, the Engineers came crawling back, and through sacrifice fly balls and single rallies, they had tied the game by the end of the fifth inning.
No more runs would be scored in regulation, so once again, the game was not decided in seven innings. Following a top of the eighth where the Engineers scored twice, de Oliveira came up to the plate and hit a ground ball into left for a single. After a fielder’s choice where she moved to second, junior third baseman Olivia Comolli put a charge into the ball for just her second home run of the season, tying the game at five.
Controversy began after two more Bombers reached base and senior right fielder Hudson Hassler singled down the left-field line. Waddington ran for home but was obstructed by the catcher and tagged out. The umpire reversed the out call but did not award the Bombers the run, which would have ended the game. Instead, Waddington was called safe at third and the inning would continue, ending in a pop-up to the pitcher.
However, it reached a boiling point in the top of the ninth when, with runners on first and third, Petrucci attempted to make a throw to the third baseman. This throw hit Engineers’ sophomore Evann McDowell’s bat while she was standing in the batter’s box and landed in the middle of the infield, leading to a further throwing error and both runs scoring. This play could have been called interference but that call is one of judgment and the umpire’s judgment was incidental contact. The runs stood and the Engineers took a 7–5 lead, winning the game by that score half an inning later.
Head coach Kelly Robichaud ‘16 reflected on some of the events of these games and said she was proud of how well her team matched up with the undefeated Engineers.
“I mean, they’re a great team and it’s really cool to see how well we competed with them,” Robichaud said. “It’s just a couple of things here and there, slight adjustments and I think the game could have gone differently.”
Looking Ahead:
The 16–8 (2–2) Bombers are next scheduled to play at 3 p.m. April 16 in a doubleheader against the Cornell University Big Red in Ithaca, New York.
