Senior catcher Cristian Forgione and first-year Caleb Clark both homered, but it was not enough as the St. Lawrence University baseball dropped the rubber match 9-3 to Ithaca on Sunday afternoon at Tom Fay Field.

St. Lawrence fell to 11-6 on the year and 3-3 in the Liberty League, while the Bombers improved to 14-5 and 3-2 in league play.

Clark's third inning two-run home run was the first of his career in Scarlet and Brown.

Ithaca jumped on the Saints early in the Sunday matinee tagging St. Lawrence with three runs. A leadoff walk quickly spiraled as the runner stole second, and was advanced on a fly out. A double from the Bombers' third hitter drove a run in before the Ithaca's designated hitter launched a double of his own to left to triple the lead to 3-0. Cutaia singled another run home in the third to make it 4-0.

In the bottom of the third, the Scarlet and Brown would cut the deficit in half. Sean Desjardins singled his way aboard for the Saints for the team's first hit, then Clark came to the dish with two outs gone in the half-inning. Clark got a 1-2 fastball from Ithaca's starter and the first-year made him pay with a no-doubt moon shot to make it a 4-2 game.



Ithaca answered back in the top of the fifth as the first two hitters of the inning both hit identical solo home runs to extend the lead to 6-2.

In the next half-inning, the Scarlet and Brown once again cut into the lead with a home run. Forgione led off the inning for the Saints and wasted no time as the senior launched a tape-measure solo home run to right center field on the first pitch of the at-bat to make the score 6-3.

The three-run deficit was as close as the Saints would get the rest of the way as the Bombers' scored two more runs in the top of the sixth and one run in the top of the seventh to bring the game to 9-3.

The Scarlet and Brown did threaten to get back into the game in the bottom of the sixth where they had the bases loaded with two outs. The threat was kept alive by a dropped foul ball, but Ithaca earned the strikeout to get out of the jam.

Christian Mingione started on the bump for the Saints and went three innings giving up five hits, four runs, and walked three in his first loss of the year. Samuel Fosberg had a nearly identical line pitching three innings in relief of Mingione giving up five hits and four runs.

Michael Watson, Michael Hutchins, and Nicholas Butler each pitched an inning out of the bullpen. Notably, Butler came out of right field and onto the mound for the ninth and promptly struck out the side.

The Scarlet and Brown will be back in action at Tom Fay Field this coming Wednesday, April 6th when the Saints take on crosstown SUNY Canton at 3:00 p.m.