ITHACA, NY- The Utica College baseball team exploded for six runs in the third inning as it came away with a 12-6 victory over Empire 8 Conference foe, Ithaca College Sunday afternoon.
 
With the win, the Pioneers improve to 18-14 overall and 8-7 in the E8.  Utica is now in position to qualify for its third straight Empire 8 Conference Tournament.  UC is currently tied for fourth place in the conference standings with Elmira College, who the Pioneers will face on Friday.  UC is also just one win behind third-ranked Stevens Institute of Technology, with three games in hand.  Utica returns to action Tuesday as it travels to Hamilton College for the 30th annual Jackie Robinson Game.  The first pitch is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
 
Ithaca opened the scoring with one run in the first inning, but the Pioneers broke the game open in the third inning with six runs, all coming with two outs.  First, junior Tom Carrigan (Niskayuna, NY/Niskayuna) doubled to left center to score three.  Adam Nell ( Vernon, NY/VVS) drove in the fourth run as he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, while Jake Ryan (Kingston, NY/Kingston) capped off the scoring for the inning with a ground rule double to left that plated two.
 
The Bombers came within two in the fifth, but UC scored five runs over the next two innings to take an 11-4 lead.  JT Ross (New York Mills, NY/New York Mills) had an RBI single in each inning, while Tim Quinlan (Monroe, CT/Masuck) had a two-RBI double in the seventh.  UC added another tally in the ninth and held on for the victory.
 
Ross and Carrigan were each 3-for-5 while Ryan Palmer (Verona, NY/VVS) was 2-for-3 with three runs scored.  Ryan was 2-for-4 and Quinlan went 2-for-5 at the dish.  Nell, Jacob Gaboriault (Colchester, VT/Essex), and Christian Tiffin (Sherrill, NY/VVS) also chipped in with one hit apiece.
 
Freshman Haydn Demers-St. Hilaire (North Lawrence, NY/St. Lawrence Central) had one strikeout and allowed just three earned runs in five  full innings of work to improve to 3-0 on the year. Senior Dom Caccioppoli (Circleville, NY/Pine Bush ) fanned two and gave up just one hit in four innings to pick up the save.