St. John Fisher College Softball Clinches Spot In E8 Title Game!

Recap, photo courtesy of St. John Fisher

The St. John Fisher College softball team clinched a spot in the Empire 8 Conference title game after avoiding double-elimination with a dominating six-inning 8-0 win over Alfred. Fisher lost to Ithaca College earlier Saturday morning in a 4-1 loss after a four-run sixth inning from the Bombers.

With the win the Cardinals improve to 32-9 on the season.

Ithaca 4, Fisher 1

The game was scoreless through four innings until Danielle Ventrone put the first run on the board with a leadoff solo homerun to start the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, pitcher Lindsey Thayer nailed a looking strikeout with two outs with the
tying run on third base to keep Fisher in the lead at 1-0.

However Ithaca would find its rhythm in the sixth inning, first scoring two on a line drive up the middle to take its first lead of the game, and on the ensuing at bat the Bombers hit a two-run homerun bringing the score to its final total of 4-1.

Thayer ended with 11 strikeouts.

Fisher would need to claim its next game against Alfred for an opportunity to take the Empire 8 Title.

Fisher 8, Alfred 0

Julia Sortisio led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, and was later driven home on an RBI single from Karlie Neale to put the first run on the board.

Fisher reached home plate again in the third inning as Katie Mazierski scored an unearned run on an error, pushing the Fisher lead to 2-0.

The Cardinals three-run fifth inning would further solidify their lead. Sortisio reached first on a walk and was moved to second on a bunt from Mazierski, and on the next at bat Ashley Prince would single to right field sending Sortisio home. A mid-inning pitching change would prove unsuccessful as the Saxons put two Fisher runners in scoring position on back-to-back errors, resulting in a single for two RBI from Neale.

In the final inning, Sortisio singled again, this time to the pitcher and advanced to second on a throwing error. With Sortisio on base Mazierski singled down the left field line for one RBI, but Fisher did not stop there. Jennifer Knaak singled to center for two RBI to push the final score of the game to 8-0.

Prince went an impressive 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run of her own, while Sortisio, Mazierski, and Neale all went 2-for-3 combining for five RBI.

Thayer returned to the mound for the second game limiting her opponents to just a single hit, while striking out 13.

The Cardinals will rematch with Ithaca Sunday morning at 10 a.m. looking to claim the Empire 8 Title.