Syracuse, NY … The College of New Jersey saw its outstanding 2017 baseball season come to a close with a 9-4 loss to Ithaca College on Saturday afternoon at the 2017 NCAA Division III New York Regional Championship tournament.
 
The Lions finish the season with a 32-13 record, a New Jersey Athletic Conference championship title, and their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA championship tournament. It also marked the second straight year that TCNJ produced 30-plus wins, a credit to the entire roster and coaching staff.
 
The Bombers (30-12) advance to play the University of Southern Maine in an elimination game at 6 p.m. The winner of that game will need to defeat Oswego State twice tomorrow in the championship round to advance to the College World Series.

TCNJ battled back from a 6-2 deficit to close the gap to 6-4, but Ithaca pulled away late in the game to notch their 30th victory of tthe season.
 
The Lions came out and put two runs on the board in the first. Thomas Persichetti (Hamilton, NJ/Notre) singled to lead off the game and advanced to third when Patrick Anderon (Long Valley, NJ/West Morris Central) stroked a base hit to left-center. A ground ball by Zachary Shindler (Wantagh, NY/Wantagh) scored Perischetti to take a 1-0 advantage. Later in the inning, freshman Jacob Simon (Hightstown, NJ/Hightstown) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to plate Anderson.
 
The Bombers doubled that number in the bottom of the frame. A two-run double down the right-field line by Domenic Boresta broke a 2-2 to give Ithaca a 4-2 advantage.
 
A run in the third and fifth extended their lead to 6-2. TCNJ battled back with single runs in the sixth and seventh. Shindler singled and advanced to third and two ground balls to the right side. CJ Gearhart (Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville) came through with a two-out, RBI singled to make it 6-3.
 
A balk forced in the fourth run for TCNJ to edge closer at 6-4. But Ithaca staged a rally in the eighth to tack three more runs onto the lead. Bomber reliever Matt Eiel retired the side in order in the ninth to close out the win.
Perischetti and Anderson each had two hits for the Lions..
 
TCNJ entered the NCAA tournament ranked 19^th nationally. They opened the season in the top 25 and never left the national poll due to consistent winning by an exceptionally balanced squad.