LA VERNE, Calif. – The Ithaca College baseball team built a 12-0 lead over the University of La Verne after the top of the fourth inning, and hung on to defeat the Leopards, 13-10, on Tuesday afternoon at Campus West Athletics Facilities. Ithaca snaps La Verne's five-winning streak to improve to 4-2 on the season, while La Verne falls to 12-6.

Ithaca plated four runs in the top of the first inning on four hits. The Bombers' opened up the scoring with a two-run double down the left field line by senior Ryan Henchey to bring in sophomore Webb Little and senior Trevor Thompson. After a pitching change, sophomore Andrew Bailey continued his torrid spring break with a triple to right-center, which drove in Henchey and sophomore Sam Little.

The Bombers had a chance a hang a couple more runs on the board in the frame after the triple by Bailey, as sophomores Matt Carey and Adam Gallagher drew back-to-back walks, but a double play ended the inning.

In the top of the second, Ithaca loaded the bases once again with no outs and then S. Little sent a seeing-eye single up the middle to score senior Josh Savacool and W. Little, which gave the Bombers a 6-0 lead.

Ithaca's lead grew to 11-0 in the fourth as the Bombers scored five runs without recording a hit. The inning started off with three straight walks to Thompson, S. Little and Henchey, and then Bailey followed with a sac fly. Three more free passes would occur for Ithaca as Gallagher and senior Ryan Dougherty were credited with RBIs, and the final two runs scored on a fielder's choice and error off the bat of Savacool, which pushed home Carey and Gallagher.

Another run came home for the Bombers in the fifth on an RBI fielder's choice by Carey with S. Little just 90 feet from home.

La Verne got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on a two-run single to right field after the bases were loaded on a pair of walks and a base hit. Another run came home in the sixth on a triple to the right-center gap to make the score, 12-3.

The difference moved back out to 10 runs in the top of the seventh as a strikeout and wild pitch allowed S. Little to scamper home.

La Verne got back into the game in the eighth inning with a five-run outburst. A sac fly and a bases loaded walk brought in two runs, and then a triple cleared the bases to bring the Leopards to within a 13-8 difference.

Ithaca's lead shrunk to 13-10 after an RBI single and fielder's choice. With one out and runners on first and second, a groundout moved them up, but Bailey got the final batter of the game to pop out to shortstop to end the game.

Henchey paced the offense with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, including a double, to go along with two runs scored, two RBI and a walk. Bailey drove in three runs, while S. Little scored four runs, walked three times, drove in a pair and went 2-for-2.

Junior Robby Buffis earned the victory in 5.2 innings pitched. Buffis gave up three runs (two earned) on nine hits with two strikeouts. Freshman Matt Eiel and juniors Chad Bartlett and Chris Marinaccio combined to throw 2.1 innings, and then Bailey cleaned up the ninth.

The Bombers are at Chapman University tomorrow for a 2:30 p.m. PDT nine-inning game.