UTICA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team won the inaugural Empire 8 Conference Championship on Saturday with a 12-4 victory over Stevens at Utica College. Senior Christian Brown was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player during the awards ceremony.

Before this season's conference tournament was implemented, Ithaca had won the three previous titles determined by conference record, and all but two crowns since 2001. The Bombers finish the tournament with a 20-14 overall mark.

Brown went 2-for-4 on Saturday with a run scored and RBI. Over the tournament, he batted .538 (7-for-13) with six runs scored, three doubles and two RBI.

The Bombers jumped out to a 1-0 after one inning of play on a sacrifice fly from junior Zach Pidgeon that plated fellow junior John Stanley. After the throw home, sophomore Trevor Thompson attempted to go to second but was gunned down to end the inning. Stanley and Thompson both singled in the frame.

Stevens took the lead, 2-1, in the top of the third on a two-run homerun to right field, but Ithaca answered right back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth.

In the fourth, Pidgeon tied the game with a single to center that brought home Stanley and then Thompson scored on a sac fly off the bat of junior Zach Cole to put Ithaca back ahead, 3-2. Once again, Stanley and Thompson found their way on with base hits – Thompson stroked a double down the left field line.

The Ducks knotted things back up in the fifth at 3-3 on a double to left center with two outs after a runner moved into scoring position on a stolen base. Stevens then regained the lead on the ensuing at bat off an error.

Once again the game was tied up, 4-4, in the bottom half of the fifth on a base hit up the middle by sophomore Josh Savacool that pushed freshman Domenic Boresta home. Boresta singled and stole second to set up the game-tying base hit from Savacool.

In the bottom of the seventh, junior Stephen Yanchus pinch hit and drove in senior Cooper Belyea with an infield single to put back up, 5-4, with two outs. The Bombers continued the frame and plated four more runs on five straight hits to break open the game at 9-4.

Ithaca tacked on three more runs in the eighth to balloon its advantage to 12-4. Belyea started the rally with a bunt single that turned into a run scored by Boresta on a throwing error. Beylea came home on a single by Savacool and scored on a base hit by junior Cameron Oathout.

Senior Andrew Sanders started on the mound for Ithaca and threw 6.1 innings with two strikeouts. Sanders gave up four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks in a no decision. Junior Benji Parkes retired one hitter in the seventh before being replaced by freshman Tyler Hill for the final out of the seventh, who earned his second victory of the season.

Senior Jimmy Wagner tossed the final two innings with two strikeouts and one hit allowed.