Troy, NY – St. John Fisher College opened the Empire 8 softball season with a sweep at The Sage Colleges at Robison Field Saturday. The Cardinals won Game 1, 12-2 and took the nightcap, 9-0, both in five innings. Fisher is now 2-0 in league play and 10-11 overall while the Gators stand 8-14 and 2-4 in the Empire 8.
Game #1 St. John Fisher 12, Sage 2 (5 inn.)
First baseman Sarah Kubik had three hits and drove in four with a homer to lead the Cardinals. Fisher scored three in the first highlighted by a two-run single by Kubik, and she hit a three-run home run in a four run second inning. The Cardinals scored two in the third and three in the fourth, where catcher Mary Claire Grosvenor blasted a two-run home run. Pitcher Emily Trotman, one of four players with two hits, picked up the win in the shortened game allowing one run and two hits with three strikeouts. Fisher had 17 hits in the contest.
The Gators got a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first on a home run by graduate student outfielder Lisa Kentris (Latham, NY/Shaker). Freshman pinch hitter Ashley Billert (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union) had an RBI single in the fourth inning. Freshman pitcher Taylor Dicranian (Bennington, VT/Mount Anthony Union) had the other hit for the Gators.
Game #2 St. John Fisher 9, Sage 0 (5 inn.)
Trotman pitched a four-hitter in five innings and did not allow a run or walk while striking out five in the second contest. The Cardinals finished with 10 hits. Ashley Prince hit a three-run home run in a five run second inning and Grosvenor had a solo shot in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth. Prince finished with four RBIs in the game.
The Gators had four singles, one each by Kentris, junior outfielder Amanda Kiriakos (Yonkers, NY/Saunders Trade & Technical), junior outfielder Destiny Wierzbicki (Albany, NY/Troy) and freshman shortstop Alex Henniger (Clifton Park, NY/Shenendehowa). Starting pitcher sophomore Katerina Lagace (Newington, CT/Newington) gave up nine hits but struck out two in four and a third innings for the Gators.
Sage is right back in action Sunday at Robison Field for an Empire 8 twin bill against Nazareth College at 1 p.m. St. John Fisher, which was scheduled to play Sunday at Utica, had those games postponed and will play a non-league doubleheader Tuesday, April 9 at 3 p.m. at Cortland.
