Murphy's Three-Run Homer Lifts Baseball to 10-8 Win Over No. 7 UMass Boston

Recap, photo courtesy of St John Fisher College

Cardinals win three-game series

KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The St. John Fisher College baseball team wrapped up its time in Florida with a 10-8 win over No. 7 UMass Boston on Saturday morning at Osceola Heritage Park in the final game of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.  With the win, Fisher, which has won five of its last six games, improved to 6-3 on the season and won two games against the Beacons in its three-game series.

Matthew Raudelunas started on the hill for Fisher, but did not factor in the decision after going 4.2 innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits.  Raudelunas fanned five overall before giving way to Tim Geissel who surrendered two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings of work.  Jack Delaney gave up two runs in a third of an inning while Jared Wren came in and threw one inning with the Beacons plating a pair of two hits.  Kenneth Westbrook (2-0) earned the win in relief after holding UMass Boston to just one hit over 1.2 innings.   

After holding the Beacons scoreless over the first two innings of play, Fisher got on the board in the home half of the second when Sean Harris stepped in with a man on and drilled a moonshot well over the left field fence to make it 2-0 in the Cardinals' favor. 

The Beacons would get one back in the top of the third, but were unable to get off the field in the bottom half of play as the Cardinals plated two more runs on two hits with Michael Beimel singling up the middle to drive in Allen Murphy and Antony Mantova.

Holding a three-run lead, Fisher saw its advantage disappear over the next two innings as the Beacons mashed three solo home runs to tie the game up at four runs apiece.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Cardinals sent eight hitters to the dish and scored three runs to open up a 7-4 cushion.  Justin Graham worked a one-out walk and promptly stole second.  With a runner in scoring position, Jack Kelleher moved the runner over with a groundout before Thomas Pasquale singled through the right side to score Graham.  Murphy kept the rally alive with a single through the left side before Mantova stepped in and rocketed a two-run single to left that made it a three-run game heading into the seventh.

UMass Boston kept it close in the seventh with a pair of runs on two hits and would take its first lead of the game in the top of the eighth after pushing two more runs across with three hits to hold an 8-7 lead.

Facing a one-run hole, Graham led off the eighth with a single to left and moved up a bag as Kelleher dropped a sacrifice bunt.  With one away, Fisher was aided by an infield error by the Beacons as Pasquale reached.  With two on and the go-ahead run at first, Murphy delivered a three-run blow to the opposite field that lifted Fisher to a 10-8 win.

In all, Fisher banged 14 hits with Murphy going 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI and three runs scored.  Pasquale, Graham, Simmons and Beimel each had two hits in the win while Harris, Mantova and Kelleher each had one hit to their credit. 

The Cardinals will return to action on Saturday, March 16th when they play a doubleheader at the United States merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point.