Courtesy of Athletics.SJFC.edu
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Justin Graham was 4-for-4 with four RBI as the St. John Fisher College baseball team continued to roll on Wednesday after downing the University of Rochester, 15-4, on the strength of 16 hits and a season-high 10 walks at Towers Field. With the win, Fisher, which has now come out on top in its last six games, moved to 10-6, while Rochester fell to 0-6 on the season.
The Cardinals belted four extra base hits in all. Graham, who had one triple on the day, produced four RBI and scored one run while Thomas Pasquale had three hits in four at-bats to go along with two runs scored, two walks and an RBI. Senior Scott Eisenmenger added to his program record with a home run and two more RBI while Victor Konstantinovsky continued to see the ball well and finished with one hit in two at-bats. The senior catcher drove in two and drew one walk overall.
After a scoreless first inning of play, Rochester got on the board first after lifting a sacrifice fly to center to hold a 1-0 lead. The advantage didn’t last long, however, as Fisher plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the third to claim a one-run edge, 2-1.
The lead would change hands again in the bottom of the third with Rochester coming up with three runs on three hits including a two-run triple to make it 4-2 in the home team’s favor.
Fisher countered in the top of the fourth with two runs on three hits to knot the game up at four runs apiece. Ryan Fahy led off the inning with an infield single and moved to second when Allen Murphy drew a walk. After Konstantinovsky moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt, Stephen Edgett blasted an RBI-single to left before Graham followed suit with a run-scoring single down the third base line before the Yellowjackets could retire the side.
The score remained deadlocked at 4-4 until the top of the seventh when Fisher blew the game open with seven runs on six hits to make it 11-4 in the visitor’s favor. Pasquale worked the count and led off with a single to left before Eisenmenger stepped in and mashed a two-run shot to left for his second home run of the season. Fisher continued to be patient at the plate as Ryan Simmons and Fahy each earned a walk before Murphy singled to load the bases with no outs. Konstantinovsky kept the ball rolling with a two-run single before Graham placed a bunt that scored Murphy to make it 9-4. The Cardinals got another run on a Rochester error before Pasquale singled in Graham to give Fisher a seven-run cushion heading into the bottom of the seventh.
After a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh, Fisher struck again in the top of the eighth as Graham pushed two more runs across the plate with a triple that scored Edgett and Fahy and made it 13-4. Jake Hewitt followed suit with a triple of his own in the ninth and would later score on a wild pitch to cap the night for the Cardinals with a 15-4 non-conference decision.
Alec Teska started on the bump for the Cardinals, but did not factor in the decision after throwing two innings and allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts. Rylan Baker was tagged for two runs on two hits before being lifted for Jared Wren who earned the win (1-0) after throwing four innings in relief. Wren surrendered one run on three hits and fanned four to pick up his first collegiate victory in the process. Dillan Wilkinson got two perfect innings of work in with two strikeouts to his credit and Jack Delaney pitched a perfect ninth.
Fisher will jump back into Empire 8 play at 4 p.m. on Friday when it begins a big three-game weekend series with Ithaca College at Dugan Yard.
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