HOUGHTON, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team pounded 19 hits and came out on top in a 17-5 win over Houghton College on Wednesday in an Empire 8 game. With the win, Fisher improved to 19-10 on the season and 5-4 in the conference standings while the host Highlanders fell to 10-14, 5-5, respectively.
Justin Graham was 4-for-6 on the day with a triple, three RBI and a pair of runs scored while
Allen Murphy had four hits of his own in the win including two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.
Antony Mantova had two hits in four at-bats and scored a team-leading three runs while
Ryan Simmons,
Michael Beimel,
Ryan Brown and
Stephen Edgett had two hits apiece. Edgett also drove in three in the win and crossed home plate twice on his own.
On the mound, junior
Anthony Brophy gave Fisher 4.2 innings to start the game. The North Tonawanda native allowed four runs on seven hits and fanned a season-high seven.
Brandon Roberts earned the win to move to 2-0 on his freshman campaign after hurling 3.1 innings and allowing just one run on one hit to go along with four strikeouts.
Kyle Chambers finished the game for Fisher with a scoreless ninth.
Fisher got off to a quick start as Graham opened the game with a single before eventually scoring on an infield error to stake Fisher to a 1-0 lead. As the inning continued, Mantova drove in a run with a fielder's choice before Houghton could retire the side facing a two-run hole.
Fisher doubled its advantage with Murphy and Edgett each driving in a run in the third and fourth innings before the Highlanders got on the board with one run in the home half of the fourth to make it 4-1 heading to the top of the fifth.
After a quick top of the fifth, Houghton got to Brophy in the next half inning with three runs to level the score at 4-4, but Fisher countered with a run in the top of the sixth when Simmons doubled home Mantova who had led off the inning with a single.
Leading by one run in the bottom of the seventh, the tides shifted with the Highlanders tying the game after a two-out walk came around to make it 5-5.
With the game knotted up and the heart of the order due up for Fisher in the top of the eighth, the Cardinals sent nine hitters to the plate and came away with five runs including a three-run triple by Graham to open up a 10-5 edge.
After holding Houghton off the board in the home half of the eighth, Fisher was at it again in the top of the ninth with 12 hitters getting a turn in the inning. In all, the visitors mashed seven hits and scored seven runs before a double play cut the inning short with Fisher ahead, 17-5.
The Cardinals will continue their swing through Empire 8 opponents beginning at 1 p.m. on Thursday when they host SUNY Canton at Dugan Yard in a doubleheader. The two teams will continue their three-game set at 10 a.m. on Friday.
