PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – Ithaca College relief pitcher Luke Zelinko struck out two batters from the University of Rochester baseball team with the bases loaded in the ninth inning, allowing the Bombers to hold on to an 11-10 victory over the Yellowjackets on Friday evening at Towers Field.
 
The Yellowjackets (7-4, 0-1 Liberty League) scored three times in the top of the ninth inning, trimming the lead down to one run, but Zelinko came up with the big strikeouts to strand three runners on, including the tying and go-ahead runs. UR was batting as the visitors on their home field due to the Friday contest initially being scheduled to be played at Ithaca.
 
Ithaca's win moves the Bombers to 7-4 on the season and 1-0 in the Liberty League, with Friday's contest serving as the conference opener for both schools. The same two squads meet up again to complete the weekend series with a doubleheader starting at 3 pm on Saturday.
 
The mid-March contest in cold, wet, rainy, and later on, dense fog conditions caused the pitchers in particular to struggle. Overall, the two pitching staffs yielded 18 combined walks, nine hit batters and six wild pitches.
 
A wild pitch got the scoring started in the top of the first, with Carlos Barajas scampering home after a leadoff triple to right field. In the second inning, Benjamin Garber laced a double to left center, scoring two more runs, boosting the early Yellowjacket lead to 3-0.
 
The Bombers scored once in both the second and third inning to get back within one, but Teddy Monahan provided a 2-run triple to right center to get those two runs back for Rochester, making it a 5-2 ball game after three and a half innings.
 
Ithaca took the lead in the bottom of the fourth though, scoring five runs on just one hit, also benefitting from a Yellowjacket error, four walks and a hit batter. Anthony Mestre had the big hit for the Bombers in the frame, scoring two runs. After four, Ithaca was on top 7-5.
 
Garber provided another run-scoring hit in the sixth inning, finding space down the left field line for a double.
 
That run was gained right back by Ithaca in the bottom of the frame, as Ethan Fantel lifted a solo home run over the left center field fence.
 
With the foggy conditions beginning to take effect in the later innings, Sammy Besztery lifted a fly ball with the bases loaded to right in the top of the seventh inning. In the outfield, Mestre never saw the ball and didn't move to catch it, but thankfully for the Bombers, second baseman Matt Curtis saw the pop up, raced out to shallow right and made the out. The ball was deep enough to allow for the sacrifice fly though, with Luke Blozy racing home to trim the lead back down to one.
 
URochester was unable to get back even, as reliever Danny Drotos was able to escape the jam, getting another fly out and a ground out to end the inning.
 
The 'Jacket offense went down 1-2-3 in the top of the eighth on just eight pitches, and Ithaca used that momentum to score some key insurance runs in the bottom of the inning. Back-to-back walks and a hit batter quickly loaded the bases.
 
After a fly out, Isaiah Smith grounded out, plating a run before Owen Callahan double to right, scoring two more runs, boosting the Bomber lead to 11-7 heading into the final inning.
 
URochester made it an exciting finish in the ninth with a similar situation to Ithaca's eighth inning.
 
A walk and hit batter put two runners on before Barajas singled up the middle to load the bases with nobody out.
 
Sammy Besztery was then hit by a pitch, forcing in a run, making the score 11-8, with the tying run now on base, forcing the Bombers to go to Zelinko out of the bullpen.
 
Monahan stepped up and recorded a fluke RBI single, seeing his hit bounce off the plate and travel only a few feet away from the catcher. The time in the air did allow George Farley IV to race home and beat out the force play though, keeping the bases loaded.
 
Garber followed by legging out a fielder's choice grounder to short, avoiding the double play while also picking up an RBI, moving the score to 11-10.
 
Zelinko uncorked a wild pitch to move pinch-runner Jake Goldberg up to second, before he walked Jake Bentivenga on four pitches to load the bases once again.
 
The Ithaca closer regained his composure over the next two hitters, battling back to strike out both hitters on swinging strikes to allow the Bombers to hold on for the win.
 
UR's top four hitters in the lineup provided most of the run production, with Barajas, Besztery, Monahan and Garber each recording two hits. Garber drove in four runs, Monahan had three RBI, while Besztery had two RBI and three runs scored. Barajas scored three times, along with Blozy who added a pair of hits.
 
On the mound, Zach Herzog took the loss, allowing seven runs (four earned) over three-plus innings. Derek Llanes struck out two in his three innings of relief, while Spencer Guido and Sam Loeb added one inning each out of the bullpen.