No. 9/10 Oswego State Lakers defeated the Ithaca College Bombers 6-3 Tuesday in a non-conference battle at Laker Field. The Lakers improved to 24-8 with the win. Ithaca fell to 20-9.

Ithaca entered Tuesday’s game against the Lakers on a 10-game win streak, but left Oswego with their streak snapped.

Following the Lakers huge series win in Cortland over the weekend, they sent Brian Nolan out on the mound to take on the Bombers.

Even though it was a non-conference game, Ithaca’s record would help Oswego State with their potential regional seeding for the Div. III NCAA Tournament.

The Lakers started their day with a three-hit first inning off of Ithaca starter Jake Binder. Mike Dellicarri roped a two-out RBI single into centerfield to score Eric Hamilton and give the Lakers a 1-0 lead.

After tip-toeing out of trouble in the second inning, Nolan faced more trouble in the third. Leadoff batter Matt Carey walked to begin the inning, and then advanced to second thanks to a balk commited by Nolan.

Bombers first basemen Webb Little then doubled home Carey with one out to tie the game at one. Nolan then settled in and was able to cruise.

After three quiet innings for both sides, Oswego State showed life in the bottom of the fifth. Following Zach Whelan’s leadoff single, Collin Thompson sacrifice bunt moved Whelan to second base.

Then, with Eric Hamilton stepping to the plate with two outs and first base open, Ithaca opted against intentionally walking Hamilton. On the first pitch, he made them pay, smoking an RBI double to the wall to score Whelan.

Pinch-hitter Josh Hoagland followed Hamilton with an RBI single to make it a 3-1 Laker lead after five innings.

In the sixth, Collin Thompson singled home Robert Donnelly with two outs in the inning. The Lakers would go on to add one more run in each of the next two innings, thanks to a couple of Bombers’ errors to go up 6-1.

Bombers starting pitcher Binder’s day was done after six innings. He allowed 10 hits on five runs, four of which were earned. Just two strikeouts total for Binder on a day that he didn’t miss many Laker bats.

Oswego State’s starter Brian Nolan finished after seven innings. After he got through a shaky second and third inning, he allowed just one baserunner the rest of the day due to an error.

Nolan, after dominating Clarkson one week ago, allowed just two hits and one run, with six strikeouts.

“My command felt good today,” Nolan said. “As the game went on I was able to settle in and gain some confidence. I knew we would eventually score some runs.”

Nolan knew Ithaca had won 10 in a row, and the impact of how big of a non-conference game it was.

“I knew this would be a big regional win for us, I just wanted to come in and shut them down.” Nolan said.

The game became interesting in the top of ninth inning when Ithaca came up for their final at-bats. At the time, they were trailing 6-1 and Oswego sent Matt Zakala on to finish the game.

After retiring the leadoff batter, Zakala gave up a walk and back-to-back singles. Matt Carey provided another single that drove in two runs and cut the Oswego State lead to 6-3.

With runners on first and second and just one out, Zakala was able to get out of trouble. He struck out Josh Savacool and forced Webb Little to groundout to seal the victory for the Lakers.

Nolan was credited with his third win of the season to improve to 3-1. Binder was dealt his first loss, falling to 6-1.

Ithaca College didn’t help themselves much throughout the game. They committed six errors in the field, a rarity for a team with a .950% fielding percentage.

“We played well, it was a good regional win for us to have,” head coach Scott Landers said. “I thought we had low energy at first, but Brian [Nolan] pitched good and kept us in it.”

Oswego State’s win over Ithaca College provides them with a solid non-conference win that will help them when the NCAA Tournament bidding comes around.

However, the win comes at a cost for the Lakers. After his second at-bat, Oswego State designated hitter/outfielder John Barnes was shaken up. He was replaced in his next at-bat by Josh Hoagland.

Coach Landers said that Barnes had pulled his hamstring, “He’ll be out for a little bit,” Landers said.

“Just another guy.” Landers sarcastically said, referencing the numerous injuries the Lakers have faced this season.

Seniors Zach Kollar and Wes Randall are already sidelined with hamstring injuries. Kollar and Randall are sure-fire starters, now Barnes adds another costly loss.

Barnes, a junior, has started all 32 games for the Lakers this season. He’s posted a .306 average, with five home runs and 27 runs batted in. He’s regularly been in the three-hole in the Lakers order.

Coach Landers was unsure when Barnes will be back, due to the question of the severity of the injury.

Next up, the No.9/10 Oswego State Lakers travel to the University of Rochester tomorrow night for another non-conference game against Rochester University, who are just 7-16 overall on the season.