ITHACA, NY—Buffalo State (18-15) closed out its regular season with a non-conference split at Ithaca (20-12), bouncing back from a marathon 4-3 12-inning loss in the opener to beat the Bombers for the first time since 2011, 4-2.
All seven runs in the first game were scored in extra innings, with the Bombers plating the only run in the 12th to finally seal the win. An RBI single by
Joanna Bardak (Amherst/Amherst) in the eighth finally opened the scoring, but a two-out homer by Ithaca evened the score and extended the game. After a scoreless ninth, Bardak gave the Bengals a lead again with an RBI fielder's choice, but Ithaca answered again in the bottom of the frame. The team's traded runs again in the 11th with freshman
Megan Mingle (Williamsville/Williamsville South) hitting an RBI single for the Bengals, but Ithaca finally ended the game with a walk-off single in the 12th.
Danielle Szymkowiak (Cheektowaga/Cheektowaga) was the only Bengals with multiple hits, going 2 for 3 with a double.
Maddie Coneys (Clifton Park/Catholic Central) pitched three shutout innings to start the game for the Bengals before being relieved by
Alison Novak (Amherst/Williamsville North) who took the hard-luck loss, going 8 2/3 innings, allowing just six hits and only one earned run.
Bardak paced the Bengals in the late game, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, and
Alexis Haley (Rochester/Aquinas) earned her eighth win of the season in the circle, allowing just five hits in the complete-game effort.
Melissa Magiera (Williamsville/Williamsville South) was 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, while
Chrissy Rennard (Brockport/Brockport) and
Sarah Gorski (Cheektowaga/Depew) also had two hits apiece.
Ithaca took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but the Bengals answered with one in the second and two more in the third to take a lead they would not relinquish. The Bombers cut the deficit to one in the fifth, but the Bengals added an insurance run in the sixth which proved to be more than enough for Haley.
Buffalo State enters the double-elimination SUNYAC Championships as the No. 4 seed and will open against No. 3 Oneonta on Thursday at 1 p.m.