After a heartbreaking loss by way of a wild pitch in its previous game, the Ithaca College baseball team emerged with a vengeance, pitching with precision to earn an 8-3 victory over the Clarkson University Golden Knights on March 29.
Because the game was originally scheduled to be in Potsdam, the Bombers started out at the plate and took control of the game early. With senior outfielder Collin Feeney on first, first-year first baseman Ethan Fantel rocketed a ball into left center, bringing in Feeney and igniting the crowd. More followed as senior catcher Ethan Daddabbo owned a double to bring Fantel home making it 2-0.
The Bombers pitching shined all day thanks in large part to sophomore pitcher Jack Picozzi. Picozzi began the game looking somewhat vulnerable but soon settled in to pitch an efficient game. Despite giving up an error and a walk, Picozzi found his composure and secured a ground out at first to end the inning.
The hitting remained consistent for the Bombers as senior first baseman Ryan Laubscher decided to punish a ball given to him by the Golden Knights’ senior pitcher Mateo Sarabia. Laubscher stared down his work as he saw the ball fly over the left field fence. After he trotted the bases to cheers from the crowd, he headbutted senior shortstop Riley Brawdy’s raised helmet and jumped into his teammates’ huddle that met him outside the dugout.
To begin the third inning, Picozzi forced the Golden Knights into a grounder that was snagged by junior second baseman Matt Curtis, who was moving fast to his left to field the tough chopper for the out. After Golden Knights’ sophomore infielder Beau Vardion got on base, Picozzi turned around and caught him in a pickle after he strayed too far from first base. Vardion had no choice but to fall and accept defeat as Curtis tagged him out. Immediately after the baserunning mistake, Picozzi whipped a pitch down the middle for a strikeout. Picozzi walked off the mound beating his chest.
The lull in scoring did not last for the Bombers as Brawdy took a ball into deep left field. The ball was so close to being robbed that the crowd and the dugout paused a second, but celebration ensued once it was realized that the fielder missed to make it 4-0.
As rain started to come down in the fourth inning, Picozzi let up three singles that gave the Golden Knights a run. In a tough position, Picozzi was forced to field a bunt and hesitated with the ball, allowing a runner to score with the batter safe at first. Picozzi eased up and struck out one Golden Knight swinging and another looking to get out of the inning up 4-2.
“The big thing is just getting ahead early in the count,” Picozzi said. “My goal is to be out in front of every hitter, and when I’m in the driver’s seat with two strikes, anything can happen. I was focusing on executing with two strikes and the results speak for themselves.”
It was time for the offense to come alive again in the sixth. Golden Knights’ senior pitcher Jacob Shirley began the inning struggling to find the zone, walking Brawdy and graduate student outfielder Andrew McDermott before being taken out for first-year pitcher Ryan Petrie. Petrie did not fare much better as he gave up an RBI single to Feeney and walked Fantel. Senior catcher Logan Scully saw Petrie’s vulnerability and rocketed a ball through the infield gap to bring in both runners and make it 7-2.
After coming in for Picozzi in the seventh, sophomore pitcher Danny Drotos found some trouble in the bottom of the eighth when he allowed two walks and an RBI line drive. Drotos was not deterred, and with runners on first and second, he struck out his next batter on a full count. Chaos ensued when Drotos turned to pick off a runner at second but changed directions to pick him off at third, ending the inning. Golden Knights’ head coach Jim Kane went out to talk to the umpire about a potential balk, but he was not persuasive enough.
The ninth saw Laubscher bring in another run to shut down the Golden Knights, securing an 8-3 win for the Bombers.
With two Liberty League wins under the Bombers’ belt, Picozzi said that coming out of the gate strong will help the team as it moves further into the season.
“It’s a lot easier to play late in the season when you feel comfortable knowing that you are out in front of everybody,” Picozzi said. “It’s a lot harder to play catch-up, especially in our conference where anything can happen.”
The Bombers will face off against the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers at 3:30 p.m. April 4 at Freeman Field.
