The reigning Empire 8 Champion St. John Fisher College softball team will travel to Ithaca College on Friday to begin defending its title in the Conference Championship.  Fisher, the No. 2 seed, will face No. 3 Stevens Institute of Technology in its first game of the double-elimination tournament.  Due to a storm that swept through the region late Thursday night, first pitch for the contest is scheduled for 12 p.m.
 
Fisher has won the Empire 8 Championship three of the last four years, with all wins coming when Ithaca served as host.
 
The Cardinals traveled to face the Ducks just two weekends ago, sweeping the series in Hoboken, NJ.  In game one, Fisher took down Stevens by a 3-0 score as Danielle Leone pitched the shutout.  The Cardinals then took a 7-1 decision in game two behind the bat of Sarah Fordyce.  The junior finished the game with four RBI on a home run and a double.
 
A loss in the opening game would put Fisher on the brink of elimination, while a win would give the Cardinals a cushion in their search for a fourth-conference title. 
 
The schedule for the weekend is as follows:
 
Friday 5/4:
Game 1: No. 2 St. John Fisher vs. No. 3 Stevens – 12 p.m.
Game 2: No. 4 Alfred vs. No. 1 Ithaca – 2 p.m.
Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 – 4 p.m.
Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 – TBA
 
Saturday 5/5:
Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 – TBA
Game 6: Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 – TBA
Game 7: If necessary - TBA
 
Sunday 5/6:
Rain Date if Needed
 
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