ITHACA, N.Y. – It was a bit of déjà vu at Freeman Field on Thursday afternoon, as the Ithaca College baseball team erased a large deficit midway through a non-conference game with the University of Rochester and came all the way back to win, 17-12. Ithaca is now 19-13 on the season, while Rochester drops to 11-12.

Last season, Rochester held a 9-1 lead over the Bombers through four innings, but IC battled all the way back to drop the Yellowjackets, 12-11, on a walk-off base hit. In today's contest, Ithaca fell behind, 11-4, heading to the bottom of the fifth, and used an 11-run eighth inning to pull off another miraculous win.

Rochester jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with a triple down the right field line, which snapped junior Jake Binder's scoreless innings streak at 17.2.

The Yellowjackets increased their lead to 3-0 in the top of the third on three hits. After a flyout, Rochester's next batter reached out a strikeout and then a single followed. A line drive double down the left field line brought in one run and an infield single scored another to cap off the inning.

Rochester manufactured another run in the fourth as the Yellowjackets played small ball and pushed one across without a hit in the inning.

Ithaca tied the game up at 4-4 in the bottom of the fourth on just one hit. The Bombers loaded the bases on a pair of walks to junior Matt Carey and Chris Dietz, and a hit by pitch to senior Domenic Boresta. A wild pitch allowed Carey to score and a walk to junior Webb Little loaded the bases up once again to set up a two-run double down the left field line by junior Andrew Bailey. Junior Sam Little then knotted the game up with a groundout to shortstop.

In the top of the fifth, Rochester erupted for seven runs in the top of the fifth to build an 11-4 advantage. The Yellowjackets used five hits and a combination of wild pitching and fielding miscues by the Bombers to break the game open.

The Bombers began to chip away at their seven-run hole in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run single by Boresta, which brought home Carey and junior Cam Fuoti.

Junior Matt Eiel kept IC in the game with two shutdown innings in the sixth and seven. Eiel did not allow a hit in 2.2 innings of relief and struck out three batters.

The fireworks took place in the bottom of the eighth as Ithaca put up 11 runs on seven hits to turn an 11-6 deficit into a 17-11 lead. The Bombers sent 15 batters to the plate in the rally, to go along with three hit batters, a walk and error.

W. Little led off by reaching on an error and Bailey followed with a double to bring in the first run. A two-base hit by freshman Garrett Callaghan ensued to drive home Bailey and then junior Jackson Smith singled. The next three batters (Fuoti, Carey and freshman Jack Lynch) were all hit by pitches to bring in two more runs.

Sophomore Andrew Wollner tied the game at 11-11 with a groundout, which pushed home Fuoti, and then Boresta gave IC a two-run lead with a single to the right-center gap. In the next plate appearance, W. Little stroked an RBI triple and then Bailey sent a sacrifice fly to center to make the score 15-11.

After a walk to Callaghan, junior Jake Generali ripped a pinch hit double to left to drive in junior Garrett Snyder, who entered as a pinch runner. Fuoti capped off the 11-run outburst with an RBI single up the middle.

Rochester got a run back in the top of the ninth to account for the final score of 17-12.

Senior Chris Marinaccio earned his second win of the season in two innings pitched. Marinaccio gave up one run on three hits with two strikeouts.

Junior Jake Binder started the contest for Ithaca and allowed seven runs (five earned) on eight hits over 4.1 innings. Sophomore Emmett Dunn was the first pitcher out of the bullpen, but was unable to record an out and gave up four runs.

Boresta and Bailey each went 2-for-5 and drove in four runs apiece for IC , while W. Little led the offense with three hits in five at bats.

The Bombers are back on home Saturday for Senior Day against Brockport and RIT. Ithaca takes on Brockport first at 12 p.m. and then Senior Day will take place before the RIT matchup.