Rochester, N.Y. – A pair of big innings allowed the St. John Fisher College baseball team to overpower the University of Rochester, 8-4, Monday evening on Towers Field. With the win, Fisher improves to 6-6 on the season, while Rochester, which is receiving votes in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, falls to 10-3 overall.
 
After two scoreless innings, the Cardinals opened the top of the 3rd with singles from Jack Kelleher and Noah Campanelli. With Kelleher at third base and one man out, the Yellowjackets pitching were able to get out of the jam by striking out two. In the bottom of the inning Rochester found the gap in right center for a two-out triple before an RBI single would put the first run of the game on the board.
 
As the game wore on, the Cardinals would put runners in scoring position in the top of the 5th after a pair of walks from Nick Lemire and Patrick Kravitz, but were unable to bring them home to keep the score 1-0 Rochester. 
 
A leadoff walk from James Murphy in the top of the 6th gave the Cardinals an opportunity to score, but two-straight outs put them in a position to once again leave a runner on base. With two-outs and Brian Lavery at the plate, the junior lined a single to right, putting Murphy on third. A chance to tie or take the lead, Lemire stepped up to bat and found what he was looking for as the short stop belted one over the left field fence for a homerun, giving the Cardinals a 3-1 lead.
 
Following the big inning, the Yellowjackets earned a walk and a one-out double to put two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 6th. With Ryan O'Mara on the rubber, the McQuaid Jesuit graduate put away two hitters with strikeouts to keep the 3-1 lead. 
 
Holding a two run lead, the Cardinals placed two runners in scoring position after a Kravitz walk and a Campanelli single and advancing on the throw. The Yellowjackets went to its bullpen for a pitching change as Luke Duffy came to the plate, and the left fielder delivered with a two RBI single to right. The offense didn't stop there as Murphy found a single down the left field line, bringing Brian Norsen to the plate with one out. A fourth-straight hit came off the bat for Norsen, as the first baseman hit a bomb to center, clearing the wall for a two-run homerun. 
 
Leading 7-1, Fisher would put another run on the board in the top of the 9th following a Campanelli triple and wild pitch to bring the second baseman home. 
 
Logan Persse came in to close the bottom of the 9th for the Cardinals, but the right-hander found himself in trouble following three-straight hits from Rochester, including a solo shot to center to cut the lead down to 8-2. A couple more singles and a wild pitch would give the Yellowjackets two more before Persse would get himself out of the inning and the game, giving the Cardinals an 8-4 win.
 
Campanelli led the offense going 3-for-5 with two runs scored, followed by Lemire's three-run shot to give him three RBIs on the game, while Norsen and Duffy each tallied a hit and two RBIs.
 
Michael Poirier started on the bump for the Cardinals and allowed one run off three hits and one strikeout, before Connor McHugh came in for a hitless inning with one strikeout. O'Mara came out of the bullpen to go four innings and take the win for this game after giving up no runs and three hits with three strikeouts. Persse finished the game up with 0.2 innings pitched, allowing three runs and four hits.
 
The Cardinals return to action at 1 p.m. on Friday to take on Alfred State College at Dugan Yard.