The St. John Fisher College softball team swept the Utica College Pioneers with a rain delayed double header in Pittsford on Sunday. With the wins Fisher improves to 23-7 on the year and 5-3 in the Empire 8. Utica falls to 19-12 and 2-6 with the road losses.
Game One: Fisher 7, Utica 0
It only took one run for Fisher to defeat the Pioneers in the first game of the day, but Fisher earned more than needed starting with a three-run first inning. Jennifer Vanek, who led the game off with a single, scored the Cardinals first run as she was brought in on a sacrifice fly from Kayla Goodberlet.
Carissa Carlson then brought in Leanne Merchant when she doubled to right field. Carlson advanced to third on the play, and then scored Fisher's final run of the inning on a passed ball.
In the second, Goodberlet doubled to score Meghan Burns who got on base with a single. With the score 4-0 in the fifth, Fisher added two more runs in the inning when Kaylee Tallman earned two RBI. Tallman hit a single to center field, scoring Sarah Fordyce and Carlson.
Fisher finished out the game with another run in the sixth inning when Merchant singled to center field to score Burns.
Burns finished the game 2-for-3 with two run scored, while seven other Cardinals compiled hits. Danielle Leone earned yet another win, improving to 13-2 on the season, with a five strikeout performance.
Game Two: Fisher 13, Utica 4
Utica got on the board first with a run in the first inning, but it didn't matter as Fisher hit three multi-run home runs to earn the mercy rule victory. After Utica scored, Fordyce crushed a ball over the center field wall with the bases loaded to put Fisher up 4-1 in the bottom of that same inning.
In the next inning, Carlson blasted a three-run shot over the wall to increase Fisher's lead to 7-1.
Utica added three runs in the third inning, cutting the Fisher lead to 7-4. The inning was enough to chase Cardinal starter Sarah Stefanon from the game, and she was replaced by Lauren Wesolowski who pitched the rest of the game to earn the save with two strikeouts, one hit and no runs.
Burns added more runs for Fisher in the third, as she stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and brought in two Cardinal runners. The hit advanced Vanek to third base, and she was eventually scored by Goodberlet.
Megan Zoerb scored Fisher's third home run of the day in the fourth inning when she sent a ball over the left field wall to tack on three more Cardinal runs.
Goodberlet finished the game a perfect 3-for-3, while Zoerb and Burns both went 2-for-3. Fordyce compiled a game-high four RBI with Carlson and Zoerb both adding three.
Fisher will return at 3 p.m. on Tuesday when it travels to SUNY Cortland to take on the Red Dragons.
