The Ithaca College baseball team came away with a hard fought 5–4 victory over Caltech in Pasadena, California. It took the Bombers 11 innings to down the Beavers and improve their record to 5–5 on the year.
The Bombers found themselves down early facing a 2–0 deficit after the third inning. Sophomore pitcher Grant Messner took the mound for Caltech and had a no-hitter cooking through the first five innings. With the Blue and Gold looking for their first hit, senior outfielder Domenic Boresta knocked the ball out of the park, putting the Bombers on the board down 2–1.
The next at bat, Messner continued to struggle against junior Webb Little. Sam Little hit a double, then junior catcher Adam Gallagher who drove in a double to give the college their first lead of the game.
The South Hill squad held the lead until the top of the eighth when the Beavers were able to get runners on first and third. Caltech laid down a squeeze to score the runner on third. During the inning, a pass ball allowed another run to score.
The game would remain at a deadlock until the top of the eleventh inning. Webb Little blasted a solo shot over the wall giving the Bombers a 5–4 victory. The loss drops Caltech to 3–14 of the year.
The Bombers secured another victory in California by defeating No. 25 University of Redlands Bulldogs 7–6.
The Blue and Gold jumped all over Bulldog senior pitcher Felix Minjarez early in the contest putting up five in the top of the second inning.
The Bulldogs got on the board in the bottom of the third inning with an infield single off of pitcher Jake Binder and an error. Webb Little wasted little time for the Bombers to answer back to the Bulldogs run with a solo shot to put the college up five again 6–1.
The Bulldogs quickly answered back in the bottom of the fourth with two more runs as Redlands brought the deficit to three runs, 6–3. The Bulldogs led the inning with a double, followed my a single to score a run. Another double and a sacrifice fly scored another run.
The Bombers pushed the lead back to four runs, 7–3, in the seventh as junior John Peterson drove in Sam Little with a sacrifice fly.
With a four-run lead and only one inning remaining Binder went out looking for the complete game. Binder was able to put away two batters, but gave up a double and issued a walk and hit by pitch, loading the bases and leading to him being pulled from the game.
Webb Little entered in relief with a chance for the save, but the first batter he faced ripped a double to clear the bases, making the score 7–6, but Webb Little ended the contest forcing a pop up in the next at bat.
The Bombers will go against No. 10 SUNY Cortland at 3 p.m. March 20 in Cortland, New York.
