ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College baseball team went a perfect 3-0 in the Liberty League Tournament and left no doubt in Saturday's final against the University of Rochester, as the Bombers secured the program's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship with an 18-5 victory at Freeman Field. The Bombers are now 30-12 on the season and will find out where they will play in the upcoming regional, which will be announced at 12 p.m. on Monday.
It is Ithaca's first Liberty League championship since joining the conference in 2020.
At the conclusion of the tournament, Buzz Shirley was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer after he went 5-for-12 with four doubles and nine RBI. On Saturday, Shirley went 3-for-4 with two doubles, five RB and two runs scored with a walk and sacrifice fly. He also set IC's single season record for doubles as he eclipsed 20 on the year.
Colin Leyner came out sharp on the mound for the Bombers with a nine-pitch 1-2-3 first inning, which concluded with a strikeout looking.
CHAMPS!!!#GoBombers | #D3B pic.twitter.com/KafxuuIukk
— Ithaca Baseball (@Ithaca_Baseball) May 14, 2022
In the bottom of the first, Louis Fabbo reached on a single through the right side of the infield and then Buzz Shirley ripped an RBI double to left-center to give the Bombers an early 1-0 lead.
The Bombers loaded the bases in the bottom of the second behind a hit by pitch to Gil Merod, a single from Riley Brawdy and walk from Mike Nauta, but could not score as a fly out to left ended the inning.
IC increased its lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the third as Matt Fabian sent a line drive into the left-center gap and it rolled all the way to the wall, allowing Nicholas Cutaia to score from first base. Cutaia reached on a two-out infield single.
In the top of the fourth, Rochester quickly loaded the bases on a lead off walk and back-to-back singles. The Yellowjackets faced two 0-2 counts during the first three plate appearances but still found a way on base. A 6-4-3 double play ball allowed UR to get on the board to cut its deficit to 2-1, but the Yellowjackets left a runner stranded on third.
The Bombers answered in the bottom of the fourth with 10 runs on six hits to extend their lead to 12-1.
Brawdy started the rally with a one-out double to left-center and then Fabbo brought him home on a two-out single to left. Shirley then doubled down the right field line to set the single season school record with his 20th double of the year and Fabbo scored from first base. After a walk to Cutaia, Connor Pedersen drove home Shirley with a base hit to left and Fabian followed with an RBI double down the right field line to plate Cutaia.
After a pitching change, Ethan Rothstein drew a bases loaded walk to make the score 7-1. The inning stayed alive as Rochester dropped an inning-ending force out at second base and Fabian scored to increase the lead to 8-1. A hit by pitch to Nauta brought in the seventh run of the inning and Merod came home.
Fabbo would be hit by a pitch to give IC a 10-1 cushion and then Shirley capped off the 10-run inning with a two-run single to left.
IC added another run in the fifth on an RBI double to center from Rothstein as Merod scored from first base after a two-out single to extend the difference to 13-1.
The Yellowjackets scored twice in the sixth inning on a single and sac fly to cut IC's lead down to 13-3.
The Bombers put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth as two runners scored on a Cutaia double and Shirley scored on a wild pitch to make it a 16-3 game.
Rochester scored once in the seventh on a single and had the bases loaded but the final out was retired at the plate as a runner tried to score on a wild pitch.
Shirley drove in his fifth run of the game in the bottom of the seventh on a sac fly to left to account for a 17-4 score.
The final run of the game for IC came on a solo home run to left field by Pedersen, giving the Bombers an 18-4 edge.
UR scored another run in the ninth, but the Bombers put an emphatic ending to the game as Fabian made a sliding catch on the warning track with the bases loaded and doubled off a runner at first to end the game and send the Bombers into a frenzy.
After Shirley, six other Bombers recorded multi-hit games as IC finished the game with 20 base hits. Brawdy was 4-for-6, while Fabian and Pedersen both went 3-for-6. Fabbo was 2-for-3 and Cutaia went 2-for-5.
Leyner improved to 6-0 on the season in 6.0 innings pitched as he allowed three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts. Erislandy Rives tossed 2.0 innings of relief and struck out one, while Brett Budzak finished up the ninth inning.
More information on the upcoming NCAA Tournament will be posted on Monday afternoon.