PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College baseball team suffered a setback on Wednesday as the No. 15 Cardinals fell to Rochester Institute of Technology, 9-5, in a non-conference matchup at Dugan Yard.  Fisher, which mashed 15 hits in the loss, moved to 27-8 on the season while the Tigers, who are receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, improved to a program-best 26-7 mark.

After recording three quick outs to lead off the game, Fisher broke through in the bottom of the first with one run on four hits.  Justin Graham battled back from a two-strike count to draw a walk before Ryan Fahy clubbed a doubled to the center field fence that plated Graham to make it a 1-0 game before the Tigers got off the field. 

In the top of the third, RIT tied things up with an RBI-single before the Cardinals answered with two more runs in the home half of the frame.  Evan Ryan singled to lead things off and scored when Fahy, who had made a highlight catch in the top of the inning to hold the Tigers at bay, tripled to left center to drive in Ryan from first.  Fisher plated its third run when Fahy scored on a wild pitch to bring it to 3-1 in Fisher's favor.

The Cardinals tacked on a run in the fourth inning as Ryan doubled in Victor Konstantinovsky who had reached with a single to give the home team a three-run edge, but RIT responded in a big way in the fifth inning with five runs on just two hits and a Fisher error to open up a 6-4 lead.

Fisher got a run back when its turn to bat came around as Scott Eisenmenger smashed a double to left field and advanced to third when Jack Trotman singled up the middle to put runners at the corners with one away.  Ryan Prevost stepped to the dish and picked up an RBI after grounding out to first to pull Fisher to within one run, 6-5, heading to the sixth inning.
 
After a scoreless sixth, RIT extended its lead in the seventh with one run on one hit and went on to plate two more in the eighth inning to make it 9-5.

The home team had a runner on base in both the eighth and ninth innings, but the Tigers' bullpen was up to the task and closed the door on any comeback bid.

Allen Murphy started for Fisher but did not factor in the decision.  He went 4.1 innings and allowed two runs on four hits with three strikeouts.  DJ Mendenhall was called on in relief but gave up three runs (two earned) on one hit and a pair of walks before being lifted for Ryan Felske who was saddled with the loss and moved to 1-1 on the season.  Felske threw two innings and yielded two runs on three hits.  Trevor Rumsey gave up a pair of runs in an inning of work while Dillan Wilkinson and Matt Toohey combined to toss 1.2 scoreless innings to finish off the game.

Ryan went 4-for-5 at the plate for Fisher while Trotman came away with three hits in five at-bats.  Fahy went 3-for-5 with a double, a triple and a pair of RBI and Eisenmenger had a pair of hits on the day.

Fisher will look to get back to its winning ways at 4 p.m. on Thursday when it hosts Utica College in an Empire 8 bout at Dugan Yard.