ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team wrapped up its regular season with a convincing 13-1 Empire 8 Conference victory over Utica College on Saturday at Freeman Field as part of Senior Day. With the win, Ithaca is now 28-7 and 16-2 in the Empire 8 and runs its winning streak to nine straight games. Utica is 14-21 overall and 8-8 in the conference.

In the bottom of the first inning, Ithaca placed its first three batters on base as senior Garrett Snyder led off with a walk, fellow senior Webb Little followed with a ground-rule double over the centerfield fence and senior Adam Gallagher drew a free pass. Senior Sam Little then gave the Bombers a 1-0 lead on a groundout to first as Snyder scooted home.

After the second out was recorded, senior Matt Carey walked to load the bases once again and then senior Andrew Bailey was hit by a pitch to bring home W. Little to make the score 2-0.

Ithaca added another run in the bottom of the third on an RBI groundout by Carey to plate S. Little, who led off the inning with a walk and moved over to third on a double down the leftfield line by senior Cam Fuoti.

Utica got on the board in the top of the fifth inning with an RBI single through the right side of the infield, but the Bombers answered with a six-run bottom half of the fifth to blow the game open, 9-1.

In the six-run outburst, Gallagher led things off with a laser solo home run to left-center. After a two-base error, Fuoti brought in S. Little with a base hit up the middle to make the score 5-1. Fuoti then came all the way home on a triple to right-center off the bat Bailey. Two more runs crossed the plate (Bailey and sophomore Jack Lynch) on a single and error from W. Little to increase the lead to 8-1. The inning was capped off with a wild pitch that allowed Snyder to come home.

IC tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on back-to-back RBI doubles from junior Buzz Shirley to plate Lynch and W. Little to bring in Shirley.

The Bombers capped off the game with two runs in the eighth to make the final score 13-1. Sophomore Brendan Ryan drew a bases loaded walk to push in sophomore Alex Robinson, and then W. Little reached on a fielder's choice to bring home junior Chris Dietz.

W. Little went 3-for-6 with three RBI, while Fuoti was 3-for-4. Bailey drove in two runs, while Snyder, Lynch and S. Little each scored twice.

Senior Jake Binder started the game and went two scoreless innings with a strikeout. Senior Emmett Dunn then came on to fan a pair of batters over the next two innings before giving way to graduate student Tyler Hill, who struck out four batters in two innings of work.

Bailey tossed a scoreless seventh and then senior Christian LaLomia pitched a perfect eighth inning on eight pitches to earn the win.  

W. Little closed out the game in the ninth with a strikeout.

The Bombers will return to action on Thursday, May 9 for the opening game of the Empire 8 Conference Tournament against Utica.