HOUGHTON, NY— Nicholas Melchiore and the Houghton Highlanders defeated the perennial powerhouse Ithaca Bombers in game one of today's doubleheader, 3-2, before falling in the nightcap, 7-9.  
 
While the two teams have played numerous close games over the past six years, today's victory was the first time that the Highlanders have defeated the Bombers.
 
Game 1: Melchiore allowed only five hits and two runs over six innings and Caleb Philips pitched a scoreless seventh to earn his fourth save of the year.
 
The Highlanders struck first in the top of the third as Joe Gross walked, then stole second.  After a ground out advanced Gross to third, Jeremy Newswanger drove a double into right center to give Houghton a 1-0 lead.
 
Ithaca tied the game at one in the bottom half of the inning on a base hit, a stolen base, and a double to right-center.
 
Houghton threatened in the fourth, as Tage Johnson doubled to lead off the inning but was thrown out at home when Ben Closson singled to right but Johnson had to freeze on the line drive.
 
The Highlanders recaptured the lead in the fifth when Jared Couch scored on an infield single by Johnson, but the Bombers responded in the sixth when Webb Little tripled off the glove of the Houghton left fielder and came home on a ground out to shortstop.
 
Houghton refused to go down easy, as Whitney Cook led off the top of the seventh with a rocket-double to left field.  Cook advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored the go-ahead run when Newswanger drove lined a shot to left field.
 
Game 2: After coming off the high of earning their first program win against the Bombers, Houghton took a sharp dive in game two.
 
For the first three innings the Highlanders committed a comedy of errors, allowing nine runs, six of which were unearned. 
 
Then, Houghton started to make lemonade out of lemons.
 
After losing All-Conference centerfielder David Wessells to a pulled hamstring in the first game, Houghton lost starting third baseman Taylor Huntsman when he was hit on the elbow in the top of the first.
 
Down 9-1 in the fifth, Huntsman's replacement, freshman Wayne Rode, injected life into the lineup when he smashed a two-run shot into the trees beyond the right field wall in his first at bat of the day.
 
In the sixth, Houghton exploded for four runs on five hits, including an RBI single by Johnson, a double down the right field line by Ethan Duryea, and a 2-RBI base hit by Ben Closson.
 
Meanwhile, Caleb Philips was back in the game and dealing.  After picking up the save in game one with a scoreless seventh, Philips tossed five more innings in game two, holding the Bombers scoreless and allowing only one hit.
 
Houghton threatened again in the seventh putting two runners on when Newswanger lined a shot into the gap.  Ithaca's Dom Boresta raced to his left and made a game-saving catch at full-extension.  A questionable strikeout call on a 3-2 pitch to Rode in the next at bat quelled the Houghton rally and the score would remain 9-7 for the duration.
 
GAME VITALS                           
Game 1 Score: Houghton – 3 | Ithaca - 2
Game 2 Score: Houghton – 7 | Ithaca - 9
Records: Houghton: 15-13 (8-7 Empire 8) | Ithaca: 17-13 (10-7 Empire 8)
Venue: Freeman Field, Ithaca College | Attendance: 129
 
KEY STATS:
>>  Tage Johnson went 4-for-7 with three RBI's, when Newswanger went 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.
 
>> Houghton outhit the Bombers in game two 12-9 but left 11 men on base, while the Bombers stranded only five.
 
>> Ethan Duryea went 3-for-4 with a double in the second game.
 
>> Melchiore picked up his first collegiate win in the first game, striking out three while allowing only five hits and one walk.
 
>> Philips has now made a school-record 19 appearances in Houghton's 28 games.
 
COACH'S CORNER:
"I'm incredibly proud of our guys for picking up the victory in the first game, and also for fighting back in game two.  I told them after the game that we can never be counted out.
 
"With that said, the first three innings of the second game probably aged me about 20 years.  We were pretty bad.
 
"Wayne really woke us up with that homerun and we started to believe again.  After that point we became dangerous again.
 
"A number of things really impressed me today.  Nick [Melchiore] and Caleb [Philips] were absolutely fantastic.  Our pitching staff has been pounding the zone and it's paying off.  Griffin [Tubbs] actually pitched much better than his numbers show.  We really didn't give him the help he deserved.
 
"But perhaps most impressive was the fact that we were missing our starting left-fielder (John Zamites), our starting centerfielder (Wessells) and starting third baseman (Huntsman) got hurt and couldn't play, and so I looked out at the field and we looked nothing like what we've looked like all season long… and we still won the first game and almost won the second.  To me, that's what good teams are like." –Coach Brian Reitnour
 
UP NEXT:
Houghton plays their final conference series of the year this weekend when they travel to Pittsford, NY to take on the St. John Fisher Cardinals.  The first game of the series starts on Friday at 4:00 p.m.