The St. John Fisher College softball team defeated Utica College 7-2 in round one of the Empire 8 Conference Championship tournament hosted by Ithaca College on Friday morning.

With the win Fisher advances to the next round of the double-elimination tournament. The second round game against Ithaca originally set for 4 p.m. today has been rescheduled for tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. due to the rain.

The Cardinals scored six runs in just the first inning starting with a Julia Sortisio leadoff single, and with the bases loaded Karlie Neale would walk, scoring Sortisio. On the ensuing at bat Genevive Paeglow singled for two RBI scoring Katie Mazierski and Ashley Prince.

With the bases loaded for the second time in the inning Danielle Ventrone hit a triple to right field for three RBI.

Fisher would score once more in the bottom of the second on a double from Jennifer Knaak. Utica struck back with two runs before the end of the contest but the Fisher lead would hold at 7-2.

Both Knaak and Ventrone went 2-for-3, and pitcher Lindsey Thayer totaled 14 strikeouts only allowing Utica three hits in seven innings.