PITTSFORD, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher College softball team shook off a slow start to the 2022 campaign on Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals swept Elmira College in their Empire 8 Conference opener by scores of 14-0 and 9-6.

Fisher (2-8, 2-0 Empire 8) produced double-digit hits in both halves of the conference twin bill against Elmira (2-6, 0-2 Empire 8). The Cardinals pushed across a season-high 14 runs in the opener, before using a season-best 15 hits to secure a come-from-behind victory in the nightcap.

St. John Fisher 14, Elmira 0
It was all Fisher in the opening act on Saturday, as the Cardinals snapped an eight-game skid with an impressive all-around performance. Jess Patterson escaped some early trouble in the pitcher's circle to preserve the shutout, totaling 4.0 innings of two-hit ball with five strikeouts.

The offense wasted little time providing run support for Patterson, as the Cardinals exploded for five runs in the bottom of the first. The first five batters of the inning all recorded hits, including an RBI double by Amalia DeMartino, an RBI single by Abby Flakus, and the highlight of the frame – a solo home run crushed by Allie Klonowski over the wall in left.

Up 7-0 after three innings, Fisher batted around the lineup and tallied seven runs to double its lead in the fourth. Bats off the bench provided all of the fireworks in the fourth, including an RBI double by Ava Mills, sac flies from Kelly Cournoyer and Abby Parks, and a run-scoring single off the bat of Lexi Wheeler.

In all, 11 different Cardinals finished with a base hit in the lopsided win, and a dozen drove in a run.

St. John Fisher 9, Elmira 6
Despite the lackluster showing by the Soaring Eagles in the first matchup, Elmira forced Fisher to use a comeback victory in the late game for the sweep. A grand slam by EC's Jillian Cortez put the visitors ahead, 5-3, in the top of the third inning.

However, the Cardinals rallied to take a one-run lead in the fifth, before tacking on three insurance runs in the sixth. Trailing by one, 5-4, Flakus and Allison Rogowski kicked off the rally with back-to-back hits to start the bottom of the fifth. Klonowski drove in Flakus for the tying run with a grounder, and Mari Spitz plated pinch-runner Liv Godley for the go-ahead score with a liner up the middle.

With two outs in the sixth, Rogowski came up with her biggest hit of the afternoon, as the senior from Cheektowaga got every stitch of a two-out pitch and lined it over the left-center wall. The three-run homer concluded Rogowski's 4-for-4 performance in the nightcap, which included a team-high four RBIs.

In relief, first-year pitcher Ainsley Evanetski earned her first collegiate win with an impressive outing. Evanetski struck out a career-high eight batters in just 4.0 innings and set down the side in order by fanning all three Soaring Eagles she faced in the fifth. With the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate for Elmira in the seventh, Evanetski logged a crucial out by punching out EC's Bella DeAmelia to end the game.

Fisher will look to carry over Saturday's success into Sunday afternoon's non-conference doubleheader at home against former E8 rival Ithaca. The first pitch between the Cardinals and Bombers is slated for 1:00 p.m. at the Softball Complex.