AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team closed out its time in Florida with a season-high 18 hits as the Cardinals stormed to a 16-9 win over Suffolk University on Saturday at Auburndale High School.  With the win, Fisher heads back north with a 4-5 overall record while the Rams sit at 1-1 on the year.

After falling behind by four runs in the top of the second inning, Fisher came up with three runs in the home half of the frame with Jack Vivinetto driving in Justin Graham before Allen Murphy mashed a two-run shot over the center field fence to make it a one run game.

The Rams countered with a run of their own in the third, but surrendered two runs in the bottom of the fourth as Vivinetto clubbed a two-run single to left that plated Graham and Stephen Edgett to even things at 5-5.

In the top of the fifth, Suffolk got the best of Fisher's pitching to the tune of four runs on four hits to open up a four-run edge, 9-5.  Scott Eisenmenger got one back for the Cardinals in the bottom of the fifth with a solo shot to left before Vivinetto blasted a homer of his own in the sixth to pull Fisher to within two runs, 9-7.

Fisher blew the game wide open in the bottom of the seventh after Suffolk went to its bullpen as the Cardinals put up six runs on four hits to hold a 13-9 cushion.  Ryan Fahy led off the inning with a walk and moved to second after Ryan Brown followed suit with a walk of his own.  With two on, Graham stepped to the dish and dropped a bunt-single to load the bases with no outs.  Edgett proceeded to make the most of his at-bat with a bases-clearing three-run double before taking third on the throw home.  Vivinetto kept the inning going with a walk while Murphy drove in a run with a fielder's choice.  As the inning continued, Simmons and Eisemenger would both drive in a run before the Rams could retire the side. 

After a scoreless top of the eighth, Fisher tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the bottom of the inning as Graham lifted a sacrifice fly to center that scored Brown before Edgett smacked a solo homer to left to make it 15-9.

Alec Teska started for Fisher but did not factor in the decision after going two innings and allowing four runs on six hits.  Pat Galer threw one inning and yielded an unearned run while Jake Hewitt surrendered two runs in an inning of work.  Jared Wren scattered four hits and gave up two runs in two innings before giving way to Kyle Chambers who earned the win (1-0) after throwing three scoreless innings.  Chambers allowed just three hits and tallied five strikeouts overall.

Edgett led the way for Fisher at the plate as the sophomore went 3-for-5 with a double, a home run, four RBI and four runs scored while Vivinetto had two hits including a homer to go along with four RBI.  Graham, Simmons and Eisemenger each had three hits in the win while Murphy had two hits and drove in three.

Fisher will return to action at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 17 when it travels to Middletown, Pa. to take on Penn St. Harrisburg in a doubleheader.