PITTSFORD, N.Y. - The St. John Fisher University baseball team dropped both ends of Sunday's doubleheader to visiting Russell Sage College, 13-3, and 5-2, at Dugan Yard in Empire 8 action. The Cardinals fall to 24-9 (13-5) on the season with the losses.
Game One: St. John Fisher 3, Russell Sage 13
Fisher was hurt by three errors that led to three unearned runs, as the Cardinals were unable to overcome a five-run Sage fourth inning and a five-run seventh. Brendan Bucello provided the offensive highlight of the afternoon, delivering a two-run home run in the second inning to tie the game at three. Mario Cubello went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, and Ryan Vanderlip added two hits and two stolen bases out of the leadoff spot.
On the mound, Ethan Fulton made the start and allowed three runs — none of them earned — over three innings, striking out two. Dylan Becker and Nathan Benjamin combined to finish the game, with the Roughriders doing most of their damage against the pair in the fourth and seventh frames.
How It Happened
Fisher fell behind early when an error in the first inning allowed Sage to score an unearned run on an Evan Grimes RBI double. The Cardinals trailed 3-0 after the second as two more Fisher miscues led to a pair of additional unearned Gator runs.
Fisher responded in the bottom of the second, however. Cubello led off with a double and Bucello followed with a two-run blast to right field to tie the game at three.
Fulton and the Fisher defense kept Sage off the board in the third, but things unraveled in the fourth when Becker came on in relief and Sage sent nine batters to the plate, stringing together four consecutive hits to put up five runs and take an 8-3 lead.
Benjamin held Sage in check through the fifth and sixth innings, but the Gators broke through again in the seventh, plating five more runs on five hits — including a two-run double by Joseph Karpierz — to put the game out of reach.
Game Notes
- Bucello's home run was his second of the season.
- Vanderlip's multi-hit performance gives him multiple hits in five of his last seven games.
- The Cardinals left 10 runners on base.
Game Two: St. John Fisher 2, Russell Sage 5
Griffin was the offensive standout for the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double to account for both Fisher runs. Ryan Vanderlip also posted a multi-hit game with two hits and a run scored, while Mario Cubello added a base hit.
On the mound, Christensen was sharp, striking out nine batters across 5.1 innings and allowing just one earned run. The right-hander held Sage in check for the majority of the game, but the Fisher bullpen was unable to preserve the lead in the eighth, with three pitchers combining to allow three runs — two of them unearned.
How It Happened
Fisher jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when Vanderlip led off with a single and Griffin followed with a two-run blast to right field, putting the Cardinals up 2-1 after Sage had scratched across an unearned run in the top half on a wild pitch.
Christensen held Sage scoreless through the next four innings, and Fisher had a chance to extend the lead on several occasions but could not capitalize with runners on base.
Sage knotted the game in the sixth inning when Jayden Kennedy led off with a solo home run to tie it at two. The Cardinals then dodged further damage in the same half-inning, as a sharp defensive play by catcher Hunter Fales caught two Sage runners in a crucial double play to keep the game tied heading into the seventh.
The game remained deadlocked until the eighth, when a walk and a stolen base put Evan Grimes in scoring position for Sage and Kennedy delivered an RBI single to give the Gators the lead. Three Fisher pitchers then walked their way into trouble as additional hits and a pair of unearned runs off errors and a wild pitch pushed Sage's advantage to 5-2.
Greg Mays closed things out for Sage in the ninth, and Fisher could not generate a rally.
Game Notes
- Christensen struck out nine batters in 5.1 innings, bringing his season strikeout total to 53.
- Three of Sage's five runs in the game were unearned.
- Fisher left six runners on base in the contest.
Up Next
The Cardinals return to action midweek at Dugan Yard. They will host SUNY Poly in an Empire 8 contest. First pitch on Tuesday, April 28, is set for 4:00 p.m.
