AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College baseball team suffered its first setback of the 2020 season after falling to Ohio Northern University, 9-7, on Monday at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational. With the loss, Fisher, which is ranked 19th in the latest D3baseball.com poll, slipped to 5-1 while the Polar Bears improved to 2-4.
After surrendering six runs over the first two innings of play, the Cardinals returned the favor with seven runs on five hits and two errors in the top of the fourth to take a one-run lead into the fifth. The inning started when
Thomas Pasquale reached on an error and moved to second on the play.
Justin Graham stepped in and ripped a single up the gut that plated a run before
Ryan Simmons walked to move Graham into scoring position. With two outs on the board and a run already in,
Michael Beimel delivered a run-scoring single before
Noah Campanelli singled in a run with shot to center. With two on and two down,
Antony Mantova kept the inning alive with a walk to load the bases for
Allen Murphy who crushed a three-run triple to knot the game at 6-6. With a runner at second, the inning continued for the Cardinals as Pasquale rocketed an RBI-double to left that pushed Fisher ahead, 7-6, before the Polar Bears could retire the side.
Ahead by one run, Fisher shut Ohio Northern down in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, but was unable to escape the seventh without harm as the Polar Bears plated three runs on three hits to retake the lead, 9-7.
Trailing by a pair and with two innings still to play, Fisher put a runner on in the top of the eighth, but was unable to get anything going over the final six outs as the team's five-game winning streak came to an end.
Kenneth Westbrook started for Fisher and went 4.0 innings where he allowed six runs (three earned) on nine hits to go along with eight strikeouts.
Cole Hedden pitched two scoreless frames while
Michael Poirier (0-1) was hit with the loss after allowing three runs on one hit over two thirds of an inning.
Jack Delaney surrendered two hits in a third of an inning while
Tim Geissel threw the eighth and yielded one hit.
The Cardinals are back in action at 12 p.m. on Tuesday when they take on St. Mary's (Minn.) in Sanford, Fla.