PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Senior pitchers Ainsley Evanetski and Cassidy Ormond limited Utica to just two total runs in a Senior Day doubleheader sweep on Saturday afternoon at the SJF Softball Complex.
The Cardinals won both games 5-1 to finish their regular-season slate 26-13 overall and 18-4 in the Empire 8 Conference. They will be the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the E8 Softball Championship Tournament, which runs May 6-11, depending on various results around the conference next week.
The Cardinals (36 points) currently hold a four-point lead for first place over Alfred (25-7, 16-4 E8), which closes its conference regular-season slate against SUNY Poly next Saturday. Fisher and Alfred split its doubleheader on April 17.
With the losses, Utica (20-10, 15-5 E8) fell to third place in the conference standings.
Game 1: St. John Fisher 5, Utica 1
Evanetski allowed just four hits and issued two walks while striking out 11 batters en route to her 12th pitching victory of the season. She held the Pioneers without a hit through five innings.
Evanetski has struck out 10 or more batters in eight games this season.
The Cardinals took the lead in the first inning and stayed in control from there. After junior Madi Rose reached on an error and senior Maddie Donlin singled, sophomore Taylor Shackleton ripped a double down the left field line to score both base runners.
Seniors Amalia DeMartino and Katie Mannis made Utica pay after sophomore Emily McManus and senior catcher Mari Spitz started the bottom half of the third with back-to-back hits. DeMartino drove in McManus with a sacrifice fly, and Mannis, with two outs, blasted a two-run home run to left center to put Fisher ahead 5-0.
The Pioneers scored their lone run of the game in the sixth inning when Brook Beleza, who doubled to start the inning, scored on Rachel Little's single to center.
Donlin and senior Cassidy Evanetski each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Donlin also drew a walk in the ballgame.
Game 2: St. John Fisher 5, Utica 1
Ormond settled in after getting through a rocky first inning in which Utica scored a run on three hits. She allowed two more hits the rest of the way, issued only one walk and struck out four as she earned her 12th victory of the season.
In the second inning, the Cardinals evened the score on McManus's 13th home run of the season (tied for the E8 lead) and went ahead 2-1 on Mannis' double to left that scored DeMartino from first.
With two outs in the bottom half of the third, Spitz added two more runs to the Cardinals' lead, bringing home Donlin and McManus on a double to left center. She drove in her third run of the game in the fifth when Donlin came across on a fielder's choice. Spitz, who leads the Empire 8 with 45 RBI, has driven in three or more runs in seven games this season.
The victory marked the Cardinals' fourth in a row over the Pioneers, who have just two wins in the series since 2016.
Seniors Honored
Before the first game, the Cardinals honored their 11 seniors during a Senior Day ceremony. That group included Amalia DeMartino, Katie Mannis, Ainsley Evanetski, Cassidy Ormond, Liv Godley, Maddie Donlin, Tori LoPresto, Marion Leskovar, Cassidy Evanetski, Maddie Herdlein and Mari Spitz. The program also recognized Abby Parks, who graduated last year.
