The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College softball team split a pair of games with Utica College at home on Saturday, winning the first game 4-2, and dropping the second 2-0.

The Cardinals, claiming their first Empire 8 Conference win, are now 13-3 overall.

Fisher 4, Utica 2

Lindsey Thayer extended her record to 7-0 after game 1, striking out nine batters, while only allowing four hits from the Pioneers.

The game went scoreless through the first three innings, but Utica would hit a two-run homerun in the top of the fourth to put the Pioneers in the lead.

Fisher would answer in the following inning, beginning with a Julia Sortisio lead-off single. Shortly after, Jennifer Knaack would advance Sortisio to third, and an Ashley Prince sacrifice fly would send Sortisio home.

Both Sarah Kubik and Karlie Neale would double at their next at bats, each batting in a run, putting Fisher up 3-2 after five innings.

The final scoring play for the Cardinals came in the bottom of the sixth when senior Lauren Owens hit one over the fence for a home run.

Utica 2, Fisher 0

After a quick two innings, Utica would score in the third inning on a single down the left field line, and again in the bottom of the 6^th to go up 2-0 over Fisher for good.

Thayer picked up her first loss of the season in game 2, as she tallied four strikeouts while allowing eight hits.

The Cardinals had just three hits in the contest from Katie Mazeriski, Neale, and Sortisio.

After postponing a matchup with Ithaca College scheduled for Sunday, Fisher will next play at 3 p.m. on Friday, April 7^th against D'Youville College at home.