By Ken DeBolt, HWS Athletic Communications
ITHACA, N.Y.—The Hobart College baseball team exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning and got a strong start from sophomore pitcher Griffin Snyder to earn a 9-6 Liberty League win over regionally-ranked Ithaca College.
The Statesmen pounded out 10 hits with the bottom of the order doing the most damage. Hobart’s 7-8-9 hitters were a combined 6 for 13. First-year Michael Presbrey was 2 for 5 with a double and two RBIs. First-year Nate Garrett was 2 for 3 with a ninth inning home run and junior Alex Morse was 2 for 5.
Snyder made what is likely his final appearance of the season a memorable one. He threw 8 1-3 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs with four strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ithaca (22-13, 11-6 LL) scored the game’s first run in the bottom of the first and held that lead until the top of the fifth.
- In the fifth inning, Hobart tied the game with a pair of infield singles sandwiched around a hit by pitch to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed junior Joe McCoy to score, but the Bombers got out of the inning with the score still even.
- IC’s Gil Merod lifted the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth over the left field fence to put the home team back in front.
THE BREAKTHROUGH
- The Statesmen broke game open in the sixth. Presbrey led off with a double to left.
- Garrett followed, working an 11-pitch walk.
- After an infield popup for the first out, first-year Christian Petry cleared the bases with a triple to give Hobart a 3-2 lead.
- Back-to-back walks loaded the bases for first-year Will Jones. With the infield in, he hit a grounder to first, but the throw home pulled the catcher off the plate allowing Petry to score.
- First-year Jackson Fowle drew a bases loaded walk to make it 5-2.
- Then with two outs, Presbrey delivered a two-run single followed by an RBI single by Garrett.
- Hobart brought 12 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring seven runs on four hits and four walks.
HOLDING ON
- The Bombers got a three-run homer by Ethan Rothstein and a solo shot by Matt Curtis to cut into the Statesmen lead, but induced a ground out and a struck out the final batter to wrap up the victory.
UP NEXT
- Hobart (9-20, 3-14) will travel to Alfred State (22-14) for a non-conference game on Wednesday, May 3. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
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