PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Just days after their first sweep of Houghton, the No. 13 St. John Fisher College softball team took two more from the Highlanders on Friday evening's senior night celebration at the Softball Complex. The Cardinals maintained their Empire 8 conference-leading record of 18-2 overall and 13-1 in the conference, while Houghton fell to 4-18 on the year and 3-11 in the Empire 8.
 
FISHER 9, HOUGHTON 0 (Five Innings)
 
After opening up the offensive portion of the game with a leadoff single, Fisher found itself with two outs and two runners on base as Allie Klonowski stepped in the box and singled up the middle, scoring both of the baserunners and putting the Cardinals up 2-0 in the bottom of the first inning.
 
An inning later, two batters in the bottom of Fisher's lineup earned bases to set Maria Marcera up for an RBI single sliced to right field, extending the lead by one.
 
In the bottom of the third, three straight singles brought Lyndsey Murray to the plate with the bases loaded, who knocked a single of her own to right field, scoring a run. Maddie Klidonas added to the scoring as she sent a sac fly deep to the center fielder to score the runner from third base. Emily Trotman finished up the Fisher scoring in the inning by crushing a pitch over the center field wall to score the remaining two runners and push the lead to 8-0.
 
The Fisher defense came in clutch in the top of the fourth inning after Houghton loaded the bases with no outs on a leadoff walk and two singles. However, Sammie Torlish picked up the frame's first out after making a ground out to the catcher, before Abby Flakus, Rachel Evans, and Megan Kreger teamed up on a 5-2-3 double play to keep the Highlanders off the board.
 
The following half inning, Torlish and Grace Mroczka both reached base for Kenzie Bowerman to send the lead runner home on a base hit, capping off the offensive production in the contest.
 
Klonowski and Trotman both nabbed two hits in the affair while they combined for five RBI. Marcera, Torlish, Bowerman, Evans, Flakus, Murray, Klidonas, and Allison Osterhoudt shared the rest of Fisher's 12 hits.
 
Trotman grabbed her ninth win of the year in the circle in the shutout after the senior faced 15 batters in four innings pitched and allowed just four hits.
 
FISHER 5, HOUGHTON 1
 
Before the second game began, the team honored its eight seniors: Marcera, Klidonas, Trotman, Kreger, Osterhoudt, Torlish, and Murray.
 
In her first at bat of the contest, Trotman went yard and cashing in on homers in back-to-back at bats, putting Fisher out to an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Two frames later, the senior smashed a double down the left field line to score a runner from third for her second RBI of the game.
 
In the bottom of the fourth inning, Klonowski ripped a leadoff double for the seven-hole hitter, Flakus, to knock her in on an RBI infield single.
 
After Cardinals pitcher, Jess Patterson, struck out the top of the following inning, Kreger ripped a two-out single through the field's left side and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. The Cardinals' five-hitter, Klonowski, pulled through again after she took first base on a hit which sent the runner home. Evans cracked a base hit up the middle a play later, and with runners on first and second, Flakus grabbed another RBI single to score the lead runner and bring the lead to 5-0.
 
Although they gave up a run in the top of the seventh inning, the Cardinals hung on for a 5-1 conference victory. Patterson struck out a career-high 11 batters after pitching the full seven innings for the home squad.
 
Of Fisher's 11 hits, Trotman, Klonowski, Evans, and Flakus each accounted for two, while Marcera, Kreger, and Klidonas tallied one apiece.
 
Fisher gets back to work tomorrow, Saturday, April 24, when the team travels to Alfred University for a doubleheader with the Saxons, beginning at 1 P.M.