UTICA, N.Y. – The St. John Fisher softball team secured another Empire 8 Conference sweep on Friday, defeating SUNY Polytechnic Institute, 9-3, in game one and 10-5 in game two.
With the wins, Fisher improved to 25-11 overall and 16-4 in conference play, while SUNY Poly fell to 11-19 (6-14 Empire 8).
Game One: St. John Fisher 9, SUNY Poly 3
The Cardinals struck first in the opening inning as Madi Rose drew a leadoff walk and later scored on a Taylor Shackleton double to right-center for a 1-0 lead.
SUNY Poly answered in the second inning, tying the game at 1-1 on an RBI single from Jenna Glenn. The Wildcats took a 2-1 lead in the fourth after Ava Faragon delivered an RBI double.
Fisher responded in the fifth. Rose reached and moved into scoring position on an error before Sarah Gross tied the game with an RBI double to right-center.
The Cardinals broke the game open in the sixth inning. Isabella Mahar led off with a solo home run to regain the lead, sparking a seven-run frame. Consecutive singles from Maddy Schubach, Lauren Policare, and Gracie Curella loaded the bases before Rose added an RBI single. Gross followed with a two-run single, and Shackleton capped the rally with a two-run hit. CC Holmes later added an RBI single to extend the lead to 9-2.
SUNY Poly plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, but it was not enough to overcome the deficit.
Molly Kuhn earned the win in the circle, tossing a complete game while allowing one earned run and striking out four.
Game Notes
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Mahar hit her second home run of the season.
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Rose finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
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Shackleton led the team with three RBIs.
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Gross added two hits and two RBIs.
Game Two: St. John Fisher 10, SUNY Poly 5
Fisher jumped out to an early lead in the second inning. CC Holmes launched a two-run home run to left-center, and Maddy Schubach followed with a solo shot to make it 3-0.
The Cardinals extended their lead in the fourth. Hallie Lorimer drove in a run with a double before Curella added another RBI double to push the advantage to 5-0.
SUNY Poly rallied in the bottom half of the inning, scoring four runs on hits from Glenn and Katelyn Adam to cut the deficit to one.
Fisher answered in the fifth as Policare delivered an RBI single to make it 6-4. Shackleton added insurance in the sixth with a two-run home run, and Mahar sealed the win in the seventh with a two-run double.
The Wildcats added a run in the seventh, but Fisher held on for the 10-5 victory.
Lorimer earned the win after starting in the circle, while Holmes also saw time in relief.
Game Notes
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Schubach went 3-for-3 for her second three-hit game of the season, while Lorimer also recorded three hits.
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As a team, the Cardinals totaled a season high of eight extra-base hits, including four doubles, one triple, and three home runs. It marked the second time this season Fisher has hit three home runs in a game.
Up Next
The Cardinals will close out the regular season with an Empire 8 doubleheader against Utica University at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on Saturday in Utica, N.Y.
