ITHACA, N.Y. - The Bard College baseball team scored 12 runs in the first three innings and rolled to a 14-5 victory in the second game of a Liberty League doubleheader at Ithaca, earning a split on Sunday. It was the first-ever meeting between Bard and Ithaca in baseball.
The story of the day was Bard's pitching, which limited one of the Liberty League's top offensive teams to five runs in each game. Ithaca was averaging almost nine runs per game. First year
Aidan Risse started Game 1 for Bard and had a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the sixth inning of a seven-inning game.
"Risse was able to set the tone for us in Game 1," Bard coach
Andy Salvatore said. "He gave us a solid outing and a good chance to win. (Bryan) Reed gave us a good start in Game 2, as well. Once we had some momentum in Game 2, we didn't look back. (Jackson) Avila-Connerney and (Aidan) Khare were both good in their college pitching debuts."
Ithaca (10-6 overall, 5-1 Liberty League) scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth of Game 1 to rally from a 3-2 deficit and win it, 5-3. Risse struck out four over five innings.
Spencer Checkoway had two hits, while
Justin Fiume and
Alex Luscher each drove in a run.
Reed got the start in Game 2 and he cruised through three innings, striking out six and yielding just one hit. In the meantime, the Raptors (2-4 overall, 1-1 Liberty League) put up 12 runs in the first three innings, with sophomore
Jared Toby driving in five runs, including a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the first that plated three runs. Checkoway went 4-for-4 with a double, two walks and four runs scored, and he also struck out the side pitching in relief in the bottom of the ninth.
Joe Barcia had three hits, while Luscher,
Andrew Roberge and
Brandon Kaminsky drove in two runs apiece.
Ithaca and Bard will meet again on Wednesday in Annandale, with the doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.
"We will be excited to get after it again on Wednesday," Salvatore said. "We just need to keep learning and improving as we gain more game experience."
Follow Wednesday's action right here via Live Stats and/or Live Video.
