PLANT CITY, Fla. – The St. John Fisher College softball team split a pair of games on Tuesday as the Cardinals took on No. 20 College of Saint Benedict followed by St. Joseph's Maine as part of the Sunkissed Classic.  With the split, Fisher will head into Friday's doubleheader holding a 3-2 overall record.

No. 20 SAINT BENEDICT 4, FISHER 3

The Cardinals took in early lead in just the first inning as Emily Trotman worked her way around the bases with a sacrifice bunt off the bat of Julia Sortisio before Sarah Kubik lifted a sacrifice fly to left that pushed a run across the plate. 

Saint Benedict would tie the game up in the top of the second and took a one-run lead in the next inning after a leadoff double came around to score on an infield error by the Cardinals.

In the bottom of the fourth, Fisher captured the lead with two runs on three hits and an error to hold a 3-2 edge.  Maddie Klidonas got the frame going with a single before Maddy Pepke laid down a bunt that stayed fair to put two on with one out.  Following an error that advanced the runners and loaded the bases, Sortisio smacked a sacrifice fly to center that scored Klidonas before Ashley Prince poked an RBI-single that plated Pepke.

The lead would hold for Fisher until the top of the sixth when Saint Benedict tied the game up with an RBI-double.  From there, the lead changed hands in the top of the seventh with an RBI-single to make it 4-3.

In the home half of the seventh, the Cardinals had the tying run in scoring position after Sortisio led off the frame with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Prince, but the Cardinals fell victim to back-to-back strikeouts as Saint Benedict held on for the win.

Emily Tortman (2-1) took the loss in the circle after throwing a complete game.  The sophomore allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with a pair of strikeouts.

FISHER 9, COLLEGE OF ST. JOSEPH'S (MAINE) 5

Fisher took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the second after Jessica Sardina came up with an RBI-single that scored Sam Schermerhorn, but the lead would be short-lived as the Monks plated three runs on four hits in the home half of the second to hold a two-run edge.

In the next inning, Fisher responded in a big way with six runs on four hits with Prince and Sardina each driving in a pair to make it a 7-3 contest.

After giving a run back in the bottom of the third, Fisher tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth with Megan Kreger cracking a run-scoring double and Rachel Evans lifting a sacrifice fly to center to make it 9-4.

In the fifth inning, St. Joseph's Maine put together a two-out rally that saw the Monks plate one run, but that was all they'd get as the Cardinals induced a pop up to second to end the threat.

Allison Rogowski earned her first collegiate win in the process after the freshman pitched seven innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on nine hits.  Rogowski walked five and had five strikeouts on the day.

Fisher will be back to work at 10 a.m. on Friday when they take on Bluffton University before duking it out with Illinois College at 2:30 p.m.