TUCSON, ARIZONA – The No. 2 St. John Fisher College softball team split on the last day of the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Cardinals would be toppled by Thomas More College, 16-8 before bouncing back and stealing a 7-1 win over No. 22 George Fox University.
Thomas More 16, Fisher 8
Fisher jumped out to an early 1-0 lead when Katie Mazierski bunt singled to lead off the inning and Sarah Kubik whacked a double over the left fielder's head to plate the first run of the game.
Thomas More answered with two runs of its own before Fisher would step to the plate in the bottom of the second.
Jill Murray would start it up for the Cardinals with a single to left field, and Mary Claire Grosvenor would knock a single of her own out the same way. Then, Mazierski fooled the Thomas More outfield, sending a triple over the left fielder's head to clear the bases.
The Saints would then plate four runs on three hits in the top frame of the third inning. In the bottom half of the frame Ashley Prince would lead off with a walk, before Jessica Sardina would force the Saint's defense into an error to score Prince.
Thomas More would tack them on however in the top of the fourth, scoring seven runs on four hits. In the bottom half of the inning, Fisher would chip away to gain two runs back. However, the Saints would add three more runs on three hits in the top of the fifth.
Murray would send another single up the middle for the Cardinals before Sardina would send a rope into left field for the two base knock and the single RBI. However, the Cardinals would fall short and the Saints would wrap the game up in five.
Sortisio would pace Fisher on the offensive end, registering three hits to go with a single RBI. Mazierski would end up 2-4 driving in two runs in the game.
Monica Moses would take the loss in the circle for the Cardinals.
Fisher 7, George Fox 1
The Cardinals would bounce right back in the second game of the day against the Bruins of George Fox.
After a scoreless first inning, the Cardinals would hop on the board first from a solo bomb homerun from Kubik.
Fisher would add two more to that total in the top stanza of the third inning. Sortisio would send a rocket single past the shortstop, setting up Sammie Torlish for the single. The hit would force the outfielder into an error eventually scoring Sortisio. Torlish would then score on a wild pitch for the final run of the inning.
The Cardinals would really broke it open in top of the fifth, scoring four runs on seven hits. After a single from both Mazierski and Grosvenor, Torlish would loft a double over the center fielder's head, plating two runs. Hits from Kubik, Prince, Trotman and Megan Kreger would force another two runs across the plate for the Cardinals before the end of the inning.
George Fox would score its own only run of the game on a solo shot in the bottom of the fifth but that would do it giving Fisher the win.
Lindsey Thayer picked up her first win of the 2018 campaign in the affair, striking out 13 total Bruins on the day.
Kubik, Mazierski, Torlish, and Trotman all finished with a multi-hit game on the offensive end.
The Cardinals return to action at 9 a.m. MST (11 a.m. EST) on Tuesday against Wittenberg University before squaring off against fellow New York competitor SUNY Oneonta at 11 a.m. MST (1 p.m. EST).
