UTICA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team picked up a pair of conference wins on Saturday as the Cardinals outscored the Pioneers 30-12 to take both ends of an Empire 8 doubleheader in Utica. With the wins, Fisher improved to 20-9 and 8-3 in conference play while Utica dipped to 12-12 overall and 4-7 in the Empire 8 standings.
FISHER 15, UTICA 6 (EIGHT INNINGS)
After picking up his first-career save on Friday, freshman
Jack Delaney earned his second collegiate win after throwing two scoreless innings in relief on Saturday. Delaney (2-0) issued just one walk and had one strikeout to his credit.
Anthony Brophy started on the hill for the Cardinals, but did not factor in the decision after going six innings and allowing six runs (two earned) on seven hits. Brophy tallied three strikeouts on the day.
The Cardinals got on the board first in the top of the third with three runs on four hits.
Victor Konstantinovsky started the rally with a solo shot to lead off the inning before
Antony Mantova drew a walk. After a single from
Thomas Pasquale moved Mantova to third, senior
Scott Eisenmenger lined a single to left to make it 2-0 before
Jake Hewitt stepped in and drilled an RBI-knock to right to give the Cardinals a three-run edge.
The Pioneers got two back in the home half of the inning, but couldn't keep Fisher off the board in the fourth as an error allowed
Ryan Brown to scurry home to make it 4-2.
Fisher struck again in the top of the fifth frame as Eisenmenger connected with his eighth home run of the season to put the visitors up 5-2, but Utica battled back and used a four-run sixth inning to hold a 6-5 lead heading to the top of the seventh.
Trailing by one with just three outs left in play, Hewitt led off the seventh with a single and moved into scoring position after
Ryan Simmons worked a walk. After both runners moved up on a groundout, Hewitt would come around to score on a passed ball to knot the game at 6-6.
After holding the Pioneers scoreless in the home half of the seventh, Fisher blew the game wide open in the top of the eighth with nine runs on six hits to claim a 15-6 win. In all, Fisher sent 12 hitters to the dish and produced eight runs with two outs. The big blow came in the form of a three-run homer by Pasquale while
Ryan Fahy drove in a pair with a bases-loaded single to left. Simmons, Mantova and
Justin Graham collected an RBI in the inning as well.
FISHER 15, UTICA 6
The Cardinals didn't waste any time putting up a crooked number after plating five runs on four hits in the top of the first inning. Graham led off with a single to left and moved to second after a rushed throw by the Pioneers' pitcher. After Mantova worked a walk, Pasquale laced a single to the opposite field to make it 1-0. With two on and no outs, Eisenmenger made it a three-run game with a two-run double to center before Fahy brought him home with a two-run shot to right.
Fisher padded its lead with two more runs in the second thanks to RBI hits from Mantova and Pasquale to make it 7-0 heading to the home half of the second.
After coming up with a run in the third and two more in the fifth, head coach Bandon Potter's squad scored five more runs in the top of seventh with Simmons clubbing a grand slam to cap off a 15-6 win.
Freshman
RJ Kuruts moved to 4-1 with the win after tossing 5.1 innings. Kuruts allowed six runs on eight hits and tallied three strikeouts overall.
Matt Toohey gave up three hits in 1.2 innings and had one strikeout in all.
As a team, Fisher peppered Utica's pitching to the tune of 17 hits including six extra base knocks. Graham had four hits for the second time this week including two doubles. The sophomore now sits at 99 career hits through just 66 career games. Pasquale had two hits in four at-bats with a pair of RBI while Eisenmenger had two hits to go along with three RBI. Brown and Hewitt each collected a pair of hits in the win.
Fisher and Utica will close out their three-game set at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
