The nationally-ranked Oswego State baseball team used a five-run seventh inning to upend host Ithaca College on Tuesday afternoon. Oswego – who moved up six spots to No. 13 in the latest D3baseball.com poll – improved to 14-3 with the win while the Bombers drop to 6-8.
It took the Lakers just four batters to get onto the scoreboard first, as Eric Hamilton singled through the right side to plate Robert Donnelly. Donnelly had reached base on a four-pitch walk before advancing into scoring position on a failed pickoff attempt.
The game remained a 1-0 Oswego edge for the next few innings until Ithaca snuck into the run column in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and runners on second and third, the Bombers doubled to left field, driving in one to knot the tilt at 1-1.
Oswego exploded for five runs two innings later, however, putting the game out of reach. With one out, Jordan Giller, Myles Kutscher and John Barnes went for three-straight singles followed by Eli Holton reaching on an error. Zach Kollar then resumed the hit parade with a single up the middle. Giller scored on Barnes' single to shortstop, Kutscher crossed home on the error and then Barnes made it around on the Kollar single. Holton and Kollar completed a double steal, allowing a run to come in during Alex Brown's at-bat, due to a passed ball. Wes Randall drove in Kollar for the final tally of the inning, giving the Lakers a 6-1 lead.
In the eighth, Oswego tacked on two insurance runs, starting with Matt Capobianco driving in Giller – who reached on a walk – with a sacrifice fly to left field. Brown was up next and doubled to left, sending Kutscher to the plate following the junior's single in the Lakers' second at-bat of the frame.
Andrew Morano picked up the win – his first in a Laker uniform – throwing 1.1 innings of relief. Morano faced five batters, allowed just one hit and struck out a batter. Cody LaFlamme, Tim Cronin and Ryan Matthews each threw one inning apiece to close out the contest, surrendering zero hits and one unearned run. Nathan Boughton started the game for Oswego, going 4.1 innings of two-hit ball while striking out four in the no-decision.
Oswego will return to the diamond on Friday when it hosts New Paltz at 3 p.m. in the first game of a three-game weekend series.
