Fisher Works Out to Win Final Game of Tucson Invitational; Cardinals Finish Play 7-3
The St. John Fisher College Cardinals fell to Capital University 4-1 in game one on the final day of play at the Tucson Invitational, but battled back and worked out of bases loaded jam with no outs in the bottom of the seventh to earn a 12-10 win over Wartburg in the nightcap.
Game one:
Capital 4, Fisher 1
Fisher got on the board in the first inning when Kayla Goodberlet singled through the left side to score Jennifer Vanek, who reached on the walk.
Capital recorded two runs in the third and fifth to steal the lead and seal the win, as Fisher couldn’t answer with the bats.
Danielle Leone took the loss from the mound, falling to 3-2 on the season.
Game two:
Fisher 12, Wartburg 10
The second game was a battle for Fisher, who came back after being down 10-9 to win the game 12-10 in the final inning.
The Cardinals took a 3-0 lead early, with Goodberlet, Jessica D’Angelo, and Megan Rogers recording big hits to get the wheels turning in the second.
Wartburg answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the third, and scoring halted for two innings after that.
Fisher broke open to explode for five runs in the fifth, taking the lead at 8-3, but Wartburg beat the Cardinals’ efforts with six runs in the bottom of the fifth to squeeze out a 9-8 advantage.
Fisher tied it in the top of the sixth after Goodberlet tripled to right field and Sarah Fordyce knocked her in.
Wartburg threatened the Cardinals, scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth to regain the lead, but a big seventh inning proved clutch for Fisher. Megan Zoerb singled to right field to record the inning’s first RBI, knocking in Kristin McCoy, who was safe on the bunt earlier in the inning. Goodberlet came through once again with a double to score the go-ahead runs, knocking in Zoerb and Vanek.
The Cardinals, led by pitcher Krista Robarge, who entered in relief in the sixth inning, held off the Knights in their final up. With bases loaded and no outs, D’Angelo caught a foul ball for the first out, and Robarge struck the second batter out before making the ground out on the final play.
Goodberlet finished the day going 4-for-7 from the plate with two doubles, a triple, and three RBI. McCoy went a flawless 3-for-3 from the plate with a double and two RBI. Fordyce went 2-for-5, matching a team-best three RBI.
With the victory, the Cardinals finish the week at the Tucson Invitational with a 7-3 start to the 2011 season. Fisher goes on hiatus until March 28, when the Cardinals host Medaille College in the home-opener.