The St. John Fisher College softball team scored runs in the final at-bat of each game on Sunday, earning a sweep over visiting Utica College. The Cardinals
won the first game 3-2, and
beat the Pioneers 4-2 in the nightcap.
Game One
The Cardinals (6-12 overall, 4-2 Empire 8) trailed by two runs in the third inning after the Pioneers (8-9, 0-4) took the lead on a two-run homerun in the top of the inning. Fisher cut the lead to just one run when
Nicole Watkins (Canastota/Canastota) scored off a
Sara Dresser (Medina/Medina) RBI.
The Pioneers still held a one-run advantage in the sixth, but a leadoff double from
Nicole Middleton (Hudson Falls/Fort Edward), and an RBI double from
Kristi Bradley (Dansville/Dansville) tied the game, and set the Cardinals up for the win. Freshman
Lauren O’Brien (Williamsville North/East Amherst) stepped up to the plate and came through with a clutch single that scored the game-winning run.
Middleton and
Watkins each went 2-for-3 from the plate, with
O’Brien recording her only hit of the game (1-for-3) in the game-winning at bat.
Amanda Shevchuk (Fayetteville-Manlius/Manlius) went the distance for Fisher, scattering five hits, allowing two runs and striking out six batters.
Game Two
The Pioneers jumped out to another two-run lead in the second game with runs in the first and third innings. Dresser got things going for Fisher when she doubled to left-center in the top of the fourth inning. After Middleton popped out to right field, Bradley singled to center field to score Dresser and cut the Utica lead in half.
O’Brien led off the three-run seventh inning for the Cardinals with a single through the left side.
O’Brien scored on an RBI double from
Samantha Vara (Hamburg/Boston) to tie the game.
Dresser singled to right field to score
Vara, which gave the Cardinals a 3-2 advantage, and
Jamie Harmon (South Portland/South Portland, ME) knocked in another run with a two-out single to give the Cardinals the 4-2 win.
Dresser finished the game 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while
O’Brien recorded two hits and one run scored.
Melissa Blakeney (Vestal/Vestal) allowed five hits, and just one earned run in the complete-game victory.
Fisher will host D’Youville College at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.
