Game 1 Box / Game 2 Box

TROY, N.Y. – Junior pitchers Nicole Cade (Portland, OR/Beaverton) and Carly Myers (Victoria, BC/Claremont) held the Red Hawks to just four hits and combined for 20 strikeouts to lead third-ranked Ithaca past Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), 6-3 & 7-0 in doubleheader action this afternoon. The Bombers improve to 14-4 while RPI falls to 11-5 overall.

Rensselaer held a 3-1 lead after the first inning in game one, led by homeruns from junior Beth Gargon (East Hampton, CT/East Hampton) and sophomore Julianne Bass (Costa Mesa, CA/Newport Harbor). Gargon’s two-run shot was her team-leading seventh of the season.

The score remained the same until the fourth when the Bombers tied things up on an RBI-triple by junior Jessica Stangarone (Brewster, NY/Brewster). Senior Jackie McCorry (Hatboro, PA/Villa Joseph Marie) followed with a sacrifice bunt to bring in Stangarone. Ithaca pulled ahead for good in the top of the fifth, capitalizing on several RPI errors and timely hitting for the 6-3 advantage.

Cade went seven innings, allowing three runs on three hits with 14 strikeouts and just one walk. For the Red Hawks, sophomore Michelle Street (East Syracuse, NY/East Syracuse-Minoa) shouldered the loss after going seven innings and allowing ten hits and six runs with three strikeouts.

In game two, with the Bombers holding a 3-0 advantage after three innings, the two teams went scoreless over the next two frames before Ithaca broke the game open in the top of the sixth. Led by a two-run single from Cade, the visitors tacked on four runs in the inning on its way to victory. In addition to Cade, who went 2 for 4 with three RBI’s, Ithaca saw senior Hannah Shalett (Bridgewater, CT/Shepaug Valley) go 2 for 3 with two runs scored.

Myers picked up the victory for the Bombers, allowing just one hit and striking out six over seven innings. Freshman hurler Michelle Bianchetti (Highland Mills, NY/John S. Burke Catholic) dropped to 5-2 with the loss. She surrendered seven runs (three earned) on 11 hits with six walks and three strikeouts.

Rensselaer closes out its homestand tomorrow afternoon against RIT at Doris Robison Field (1pm). The Bombers are back in action on Wednesday when they host Cazenovia (3pm).