The St. John Fisher College softball team improved to 6-4 in the Empire 8 Conference and 19-13 overall with two wins over visiting Utica College on a sunny Sunday afternoon at the Fisher field.

Game one: Fisher 6, Utica 3

Home runs from Carissa Carlson and Leanne Merchant would break a 3-3 tie and steal the win from the Pioneers in the first game.

Utica held a 3-0 lead with the Cardinals up to bat in the fifth inning before Meghan Graves got the bats swinging for Fisher with a double through the left side. Merchant reached on a throwing error, advancing to second, before Chrissy Capalbo entered to pinch run. Kelly Jones got the Cardinals on the board, bringing in Graves, before Capalbo cut the deficit to one off an error. Megan Zoerb's RBI tied the game for the Cardinals, bringing in Kristin McCoy.

The Pioneers failed to respond in the bottom of the sixth, and the Cardinals kept the bats going with three runs to seal the 6-3 win. Carlson kicked off the inning with a home run. Graves singled but was thrown out at second on a bunt from Jamie Harmon. Merchant stepped to the plate and homered over the center field fence with no hesitation, earning two RBI.

Danielle Leone pitched all seven innings for Fisher, scattering eight hits with only one earned run, while striking out four Pioneer batters. Leone improved to 9-4 on the season with the win.

Game two: Fisher 10, Utica 5

Fisher jumped to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, with Jenn Vanek kicking off the second game with a solid double to the fence in centerfield. Vanek stole third and was brought in on an RBI from Kayla Goodberlet before Carlson stepped up to hit her second home run of the day, earning two RBI. Jamie Harmon doubled and was then brought in on fielding errors that got Merchant on base, to round out the four-run inning.

Utica responded quick, cutting the deficit to one with three hits and three runs in the bottom of the first. Not about to let that stop them, the Cardinals earned two more runs in the second with Goodberlet's double scoring Vanek and Carlson bringing in Zoerb to take a three-run lead out of the inning.

The bats were quiet until the fifth, when Fisher put three more on the board, highlighted by a double from Jones that scored Kelly Hausler, who pinch ran for Graves. Capalbo and Jones also scored in the inning. The Cardinals continued on to score one in the sixth when Carlson ripped a double and was brought in by on a throwing error.

Utica responded with two late in the sixth, but it wasn't enough as the Cardinals took the five-run win.

Michelle Krier took the win from the mound, improving to 4-4 on the season and recording three strikeouts.

Fisher returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to take on non-conference opponent Cortland in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m.