UTICA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team picked up two more wins in league play on Monday as the Cardinals defeated Utica University twice at the Pioneers' Baseball Field.  With the wins, Fisher, which has now posted eight wins in its last nine outings, improved to 15-10 overall and 7-1 in the Empire 8 standings while the Pioneers fell to 11-10 on the year and 4-4 against conference opposition.

FISHER 20, UTICA 2

After scoring three runs in the top of the first, the Cardinals gave one back in the bottom half of the inning to take a 3-1 edge into the top of the second.  From there, Fisher's offense erupted for 17 runs over the next three innings with 11 hits to open up a 20-1 cushion.

As the game wore on, Utica scored one run in the bottom of the fourth and tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the seventh before the Cardinals retired the side.

Six different players had at least two hits in the win led by Nick Lemire who extended his hitting streak to 14 games after going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBI.  Ben Lavery was 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI while James Murphy had three hits in three at-bats to go along with a double, two RBI and a walk. Luke Duffy was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored while Michael Beimel had two hits and an RBI in the win.

Connor McHugh (3-1) earned the win after surrendering two runs (one earned) on four hits over five innings of work.  Anthony Lang pitched the final two frames and let in two runs (one earned) while fanning three.

FISHER 15, UTICA 2

Fisher carried over its hot hitting into the nightcap as Ethan Perry singled in a run before Lemire scored on a wild pitch after singling through the left side earlier in the first inning.

Trailing 2-0, Utica rallied to tie the score in the bottom of the first, but the Cardinals held the Pioneers to just two hits over the final six innings while plating five runs of their own in the third and six more in the top of the sixth for a 13-run cushion.

Noah Campanelli was 3-for-4 in the second game with three RBI while Beimel collected three more hits and scored three runs in the win.  Lavery continued to see the ball well with three hits in five at-bats including a grand slam and five RBI.  Murphy was 2-for-5 with a double and a pair of runs driven in and Perry was 2-for-4 overall.

On the mound, Michael Poirier opened and went two innings where he surrendered two runs on three hits.  Ryan O'Mara (3-0) earned the win in relief after scattering just one hit over five innings and tallying four strikeouts.

The Cardinals will look to build upon their lead in the Empire 8 standings at 1 p.m. on Friday when they host Elmira College in a doubleheader at Dugan Yard.