HOBOKEN, N.J. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team forced a winner-take-all game seven on Saturday in the Empire 8 Championship as the Cardinals bested the Ithaca College Bombers in an elimination bout before falling in the title game at Dobbelaar Field.  With the split, Fisher improved to 29-16 on the season, while Ithaca earned its seventh straight Empire 8 crown and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship next week.

Fisher will await word on whether it received a coveted at-large bid into the field during the NCAA selection show, which is scheduled to air at 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 13 at NCAA.com.

FISHER 15, ITHACA 6

Scott Eisenmenger got things going for Fisher early as the senior added to his program record with a double down the left field line to begin the second inning.  Eisenmenger would come around to score when Victor Konstantinovsky lifted a sacrifice fly to left to make it 1-0 in the Cardinals' favor.

The lead would swing to Ithaca in home half of the second after the Bombers came away with three runs on just one hit, but the Cardinals countered in the top of the third with two runs of their own including a bases-loaded walk by Ryan Fahy to even things up at three runs apiece.

After giving a run back in the bottom of the frame, Fisher came up with two more runs in the fourth with Eisenmenger and Allen Murphy each driving in a run to open up a 5-4 advantage.
Both teams tacked on runs in the fifth inning before the Cardinals padded their lead with three runs in the top of the seventh.  Justin Graham led off the inning with a solo shot to right before Thomas Pasquale drove home Ryan Brown who had been hit by a pitch.  With two runs already on the board, Ryan Simmons made it 10-6 after plating a run with a fielder's choice before the Bombers could retire the side.

In the eighth inning, Pasquale showed his power with a two-run home run while Murphy connected with a solo shot to right center to stake Fisher to a seven-run lead, 13-6.  The power surge carried over into the ninth inning as Graham belted his second homer of the game, this time a two-run blast, to lift Fisher to the 15-6 win.

Kyle Chambers started for the Cardinals and lasted three innings as the junior allowed four runs (two earned) on five hits to go along with two strikeouts.  Alec Teska provided three solid innings in relief after yielding two runs on six hits before Jack Delaney (4-1), who was credited with the win, tossed three hitless innings to close out the win.

At the plate, Fisher banged out 11 hits led by Graham who went 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and five runs scored.  Pasquale, Eisenmenger and Murphy each had two hits in the win.

ITHACA 7, FISHER 5

The Cardinals took an early lead in the bottom of the first after Eisenmenger smacked an RBI-single to left that scored Ryan Brown.  With the hit, Eisenmenger now stands tied with Fisher Hall-of-Famer Andy Campbell's record for career hits with 225.

Ithaca would eventually open up a four-run lead in the top of the seventh with three runs on two hits to hold a 5-1 edge, but as had been the case all weekend, Fisher battled back and cut the deficit to two runs in the bottom of the seventh with two runs.  Murphy led off the frame with a solo shot to center before Jack Vivinetto drove in a run with a single up the middle to make it 5-3 heading to the eighth.

The Bombers got both runs back after scoring in both the eighth and ninth innings to put the Cardinals in a four-run hole with just three outs left in play.  After notching two quick strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth, Fisher was aided by an Ithaca error that allowed Justin Graham to reach and the game to continue.  With two outs and one on, Brown kept the Cardinals alive with a single to left before Pasquale was plunked to load the bases with Eisenmenger coming to bat.  With just one out left, Eisenmenger picked up an RBI after being hit while Murphy followed suit with a bases-loaded walk to make it 7-5.  With three runners on and needing a base hit to potentially tie the game, Fisher came up just short as the Bombers netted a strikeout to stave off the comeback bid and earn the conference crown.

Jared Wren made the start and was saddled with the loss.  The freshman had a solid outing and allowed just two runs over six innings.  Matt Toohey faced one batter and allowed a run before being lifted for Delaney who gave up three runs in an inning of work.  Dillan Wilkinson pitched the final two innings and gave up one run on three hits.