Box Score
Auburn, N.Y. -- The Ithaca Bombers tied the game with a three two-out runs in the bottom of the ninth and scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th, rallying to beat Rensselaer 8-7 in the NCAA NY Regional at Auburn’s Falcon Park. Ithaca (33-9), seeded second in the regional, will face top-seeded Cortland Friday at 3:30 p.m. with a berth in the regional final at stake. Third-seeded Rensselaer (34-10), will face fourth-seeded St. Lawrence in an elimination game Friday at noon. Thanks in part to a 123-minute rain delay in the fifth inning, the rest of the regional schedule has been revised.
"It was a tough loss," said Rensselaer head coach Karl Steffen. "Obviously it was a long day and I thought we showed a tremendous effort. We will have to continue with that effort as we work to advance."
The new schedule:
Game 7 Eastern Connecticut vs. Centenary (loser eliminated) May 18 - 9:50
p.m.
Game 8 St. Lawrence vs. Rensselaer (loser eliminated) May 19 - Noon
Game 9 Cortland vs. Ithaca May 19 - 3:30 p.m.
Game 10 Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner (loser eliminated) May 19 - 7 p.m.
Game 11 Game 9 Loser vs. Game 10 Winner (loser eliminated) May 20 - Noon
Game 12 Game 9 Winner vs. Game 11 Winner May 20 - 4 p.m.
Game 13 Game 12 Winner vs. Game 12 Loser (if necessary) May 21 - Noon
Senior shortstop Rob Litz (Walkill/Walkill) and sophomore first baseman Eric Ferguson (Columbia/East Greenbush) collected RBI’s in the ninth-inning rally and Ithaca scored the winning run in the 11th on a two-out infield error. Junior Jeremy Peters (Thomas R. Proctor/Utica) and sophomore second baseman Todd Czerno (Columbia/Brainard) hit one-out singles; one out later Ferguson hit a ground ball that sophomore shortstop Matt Muscatiello (Ichabod Crane/Kinderhook) couldn’t field as Peters scored the winning run.
The Bombers’ ninth-inning rally started when senior outfielder PJ Canestrari (Randolph/Ironia, N.J.) was hit by a pitch with one out. Peters reached on a bunt single to bring the tying run to the plate and one out later Litz doubled to left center to score two runs. Ferguson hit the first pitch he saw to right field to tie the game. He finished with three hits.
The two-hour, three-minute rain delay began with Rensselaer batting in the top of the fifth and trailing 3-0; nine batters after play resumed the Red Hawks led 7-3. Senior first baseman Joe Ihnatolya (Shenendehowa/Clifton Park) hit a two-run single and two runs scored on a bases-loaded throwing error by sophomore third baseman Josh Smith (Pulaski/Richland).
Muscatiello and freshman third baseman Jim Devine (Columbia/Castleton) hit RBI doubles and sophomore designated hitter Stevan Slusher (Penns Grove/Pedricktown, N.J.) added a run-scoring single.
Junior Matt Lavoie (Moses Brown/Providence, R.I.) earned the win with six innings of near-perfect relief. He entered the game with the two runners on and no outs in the top of the sixth; he retired the first batter he faced on a groundout, intentionally walked Ihnatolya to load the bases and
got out of the jam by inducing a double play. Lavoie did not allow another base runner, retiring the last 16 batters he faced (three on strikeouts and 13 on groundouts).
Freshman center fielder Sean Wilkes (Catholic Central/Troy) recorded three of Rensselaer’s eight hits; the Red Hawks had six hits in their seven-run fifth and were held hitless in nine of the other 10 innings.
Sacrifice flies by Canestrari and sophomore catcher Rob Raux (Frankfort/Ilion) and an RBI double by freshman designated hitter Drew Ash (Morris Knolls/Denville, N.J.) staked Ithaca to a 3-0 third-inning lead against Rensselaer ace Luke Calzone (Bethel/Bethel, Conn.). The junior,
who entered the game 10-0 with an 1.60 ERA, lasted just 14 batters.
