PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The No. 12 St. John Fisher College softball team was firing on all cylinders on Sunday afternoon as the Cardinals bounced back from yesterday's split to sweep Utica in two five-inning games, 9-1 and 11-1. The Cardinals bettered their overall record to 14-2 and 9-1 in the Empire 8 while Utica fell to 9-7 on the year and 4-6 in the conference following the setbacks.
 
FISHER 9, UTICA 1 (Five Innings)
 
The Cardinals offense got all of its scoring done early as they put up a four-spot and a five-spot in the opening two frames.
 
Emily Trotman, Sammie Torlish and Abby Flakus were all perfect at the plate in each of their two at bats, while the shortstop and third baseman plated two runs apiece. Flakus also had the Cardinals' sole extra-bag knock in the game, an RBI double that bounced off the center field fence.
 
Megan Kreger added two RBI in her 1-for-2 performance while Rachel Evans grabbed two hits and sent a runner home. Maria Marcera and Maddie Klidonas rounded out the Cardinals' offense as the seniors combined for three hits and three runs.
 
Trotman took the W in the circle and moved to 7-1 on the year after striking out three and allowing just one hit in three scoreless innings of work. Jenna Leydecker took over in relief to face the game's last nine batters, allowed three hits and the Pioneers' lone run.
 
FISHER 11, UTICA 1 (Five Innings)
 
After hitting a leadoff double off the left field wall, Trotman crossed the plate for the first run of the nightcap for the Cardinals on a Kreger base hit through the left side. The following inning, the 1-hole hitter came up big again as she took a bases-loaded fastball to deep center field for her first career grand slam, putting the Cardinals up 5-0.
 
An inning later, Allie Klonowski crushed a pitch that tripped over the right center field fence for the Buffalo native's fifth home run of the week, to extend the lead by a run. Evans and Flakus used back to back hits to set Allison Rogowski up for an RBI double, making the score 7-0 with no outs and forcing Utica into a pitching change. However, the Cardinals kept scoring as a sac fly from Trotman, an RBI double from Marcera, and a Pioneers error plated three more runs before the end of the third inning.
 
Fisher got on the board once more in the bottom of the fourth inning after Kenzie Bowerman recorded her first hit of the season and scored as a result of a fielder's choice.

Trotman led the home squad with 5 RBI in her 2 at-bat perfection at the plate. Flakus went 2-for-2 in the box again, while Klonowski matched the effort and added an RBI. Marcera, Kreger, and Rogowski each grabbed a hit and an RBI while Bowerman and Evans added a hit to the Cardinals' 11-hit performance.

Jess Patterson was awarded her seventh win of the year in the circle after she threw four innings, allowed two hits, and struck out two of the 15 batters she faced. Leydecker threw an inning of relief work and allowed the outing's lone run.

After playing the last 12 games on their home diamond, the nationally-ranked Cardinals will hit the road on Tuesday, April 20 for a doubleheader at Houghton, beginning at 5 P.M.