Potsdam, NY – Four spots in the top half of the final inning of each game turned close contests into more daunting comeback attempts as the Clarkson University Baseball team dropped its doubleheader to Ithaca College on Friday afternoon, falling 9-4 in the first game and 12-6 in game two at Jack Phillips Stadium.

The Golden Knights dropped to 9-17 overall and 7-7 in Liberty League contests, while the Bombers improved to 20-11 and 9-4. The two teams will play the third game of the series on Saturday.

Both contests were tight affairs until Ithaca opened the games up in the top of the ninth and top of the seventh, respectively, changing a one-run game into a five-run contest in the early game, and a two-run game into a six-run gap in the nightcap.

Ithaca picked up a run in the top of the second with a double steal, as the second runner took off late on the delay, and in the third Garrett Callaghan drove in a run with a ground out to put the score at 2-0. Ithaca picked up two more runs on a two-run double by Callaghan, plating Louis Fabbo and Connor Pedersen, in the fifth, but the Knights got one back in the bottom half of the frame when Kent Wilson homered to right. Ithaca picked up a run on another attempted double steal in the sixth, though Brawdy scored when the other runner was thrown out at second. Clarkson strung together four straight hits in the bottom of the sixth to pick up two runs, as James Mason's single up the middle and Cam Jerrett's bloop to center each sent a run home.

In the eighth inning, the Knights pulled to within one on a double by Jerrett that scored Mason, chasing Ithaca starter Kyle Lambert. However, that would be all that the Knights could muster offensively. John Griffin got the Bombers out of the jam, and Ithaca would score four runs on six hits in the ninth to give Griffin a save despite a five-run lead.

For Clarkson, Mason and Jerrett each finished with two hits, while Mateo Sarabia took the loss, allowing only five hits and two walks over eight frames. For Ithaca, Kyle Lambert picked up the win with eight strikeouts and four earned runs in 7.1 innings. Callaghan was 2-for-4 with three RBI.

In game two, the Bombers jumped on Clarkson starter Nicholas Hofacker early with five runs in the first two innings, though most of the hits were not hit particularly hard, as all but one just round spots between fielders. Clarkson slowly climbed back into the game with a run in the bottom of the second as Jake Millich scored on a groundout from Jerrett, a solo home run by Aidan Kuefner in the third, and an RBI single by Robert Whalen in the fourth. Whalen also scored on an error in the fourth to put the tally at 5-4 through four frames.

In the fifth, a double by Riley Brawdy scored one for the Bombers, and Louis Fabbo drilled a two-run homer to right in the sixth to make it 8-4, but the Knights picked up two in the bottom half of the sixth on run-scoring hits from Kuefner and Joe Pagano, reducing the gap to two.

Once again, however, Ithaca picked up key insurance runs in its final at bat. In the top of the seventh, the Bombers scored four runs, two coming home on a two-run single from Ethan Rothstein and two more scoring on a double by Collin Feeney.

For Clarkson, Mason, Whalen, and Kuefner also had two hits, with the latter driving in two and also scoring twice. For Ithaca, Feeney was 4-for-4 with three RBI, Callaghan was 3-for-4, and Brawdy went 4-for-4.