The Ithaca College softball team battled the SUNY Geneseo Knights, stormy weather and a cancelled game two to come out victorious in a planned doubleheader April 2.
Senior pitcher Anna Cornell stepped up to the mound for game one as clouds loomed overhead. Two Knights singled, but the top of the first ended scoreless.
The Bombers struck the bottom of the first like lightning. Senior shortstop Sela Scheinman hit a single on her first swing and stole second as junior second baseman Cate Murray stood at home plate. Sophomore designated pitcher Elise Waddington walked, and Waddington and Scheinman stole second and third respectively before another single, allowing both to score.
A similar scene played out just minutes later. After two walks and a hit-by-pitch, junior third baseman Ava Rao and junior catcher Haley Petrucci scored from the same hit, with sophomore first baseman Sydney Miranda following during the next at-bat. The South Hill squad ended the inning up 5-0.
The game slowed as rain began to fall. Neither team tallied a hit until the bottom of the third, when the Bombers scored in three consecutive at-bats. Instead of swinging at every pitch, the players patiently waited them out. By the end of the game, Miranda led the team in walks, contributing three to the team’s total of eight. Their patience was rewarded as they ended the third up 10-0.
Head coach Kelly Robichaud said the team was able to adapt to challenges without affecting its ability to wait for walks.
“We stuck to our approach at bat, which was really important, and we didn’t let the weather affect us,” Robichaud said.
Rain came down in sheets during the fourth inning. After Cornell allowed a single hit and no runs in the top of the fourth, the Bombers quickly put away two runs and two strikes. Players in the dugout started singing to keep up morale, and it seemed to work as Waddington hit a double to left field, allowing Murray and junior left fielder Jessie Lopez to score.
A hush fell over the Knights as their first batter took position for the top of the fifth. They needed seven runs for the game not to be cut short by the mercy rule, but Cornell’s calculated pitching never gave them a chance. The Knights ended the game scoreless, and the Bombers claimed a 14-0 victory.
The rain slowed as the teams headed toward their dugouts. Groundskeepers raked the field, and after a long back-and-forth between coaches, the players took their positions for game two.
Sophomore pitcher Mady Rowell replaced Cornell at the mound. Where Cornell threw pitches the Knights could not hit, Rowell had an uncanny ability to make the ball connect and then fly away from the field. One pitch resulted in the ball soaring behind the stands and into nearby shrubbery. No one scored.
The Bombers capitalized on the opportunity. An uncaught fly ball made the game 2-0, followed by two more runs in the inning.
As the first came to a close, the groundskeepers returned to add fresh sand to the pitcher’s mound and home plate. The rain had picked up, and before the South Hill squad could take its position on the field, the players were called back into the dugout.
The teams returned to the field to shake hands as thunder rumbled overhead. Although game two did not affect their statistics, Robichaud said it gave the Bombers confidence.
“We put up four runs in that first inning, so that feels like we were locked in,” Robichaud said. “We were ready to go, and that’s what’s important in moments like this. We’re going to face adversity, so how do we work through it?”
The Bombers will face the Union College Garnet Chargers in a doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. April 4 at Kostrinsky Field for their first Liberty League game of the season.
