Cortland, N.Y. - Despite tallying ten runs on the offensive side, the Clarkson University Baseball team gave up 17 runs on the defensive side, dropping a 17-10 decision to Ithaca College, Monday afternoon at the Gutchess Lumber Sports Complex.
Clarkson drops to 10-8 overall, 2-4 in the conference and will shift focus to Hobart this weekend, as the Statesmen are scheduled to travel to Potsdam for a three-game league series. Ithaca improves to 11-6 overall, 4-2 in league play.
Wasting no time, Ithaca jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before the end of the first inning as a solo home run and double to the right center gap plated the opening runs of the contest for the Bombers.
Following a scoreless second for both sides, Clarkson rattled off five runs in the top of the fifth to reverse the deficit. CJ Cartier, Zach Rider and Seth Albert would all reach to lead off the frame, loading the bases with no outs before a single through the right side from David Harris would score two and knot the score up. The hit from Harris pushed the sophomore's current hit streak to eight games now. Aidan Kuefner would then reach on an infield single to keep the pressure on the Bombers and Joe Figliolino would follow with a sacrifice fly to score Albert from third and finally produce the first out of the half inning. A groundout to the third baseman allowed Harris to score to make it 4-2 and a Nolan Merrow single up the middle scored Kuefner to close out the scoring for the Knights, making it 5-2.
Ithaca would get another back in the bottom half of the third as Ethan Fantel connected on his second homer of the series, preceding a Bomber onslaught over the next two innings. With another home run, two doubles and a single in the bottom of the fourth, Ithaca expanded the lead to 9-5 before tacking on another four runs on three hits in the fifth to make it 13-5.
A one-out double off the bat of Harris in the top of the sixth brought both Cartier and Albert in to score from second and first, respectively, as Clarkson attempted to claw their way back into the contest. The Bombers managed to get another in the bottom half of the sixth before a two-out rally from the Knights in the top of the seventh again brought the teams back to within four. Beau Vardion led the frame off with a ground-rule double to right before Ithaca forced a groundout and strikeout, looking to keep the Knights off the board. Cartier, Rider and Albert would then single, double and single in the next at-bats to make it 14-10 headed into the seventh-inning stretch.
Not to be outdone, the Bombers would answer with three runs of their own thanks to a series of singles, stretching the advantage back to 17-10, where it would stay for the final two innings.
Five Golden Knights finished with multi-hit outings at the plate as the team produced 12 hits total. Harris and Albert continued to lead at the plate driving in four and two runs, respectively. Cameron Barbulean would be handed the loss for Clarkson as part of a six-pitcher effort. Ryan Petrie and Nathan Hartley both would strike out two apiece late-on in relief.
