Instant Classic: St. John Fisher Wins in 15 Innings Over Aurora
The St. John Fisher College baseball team won an instant classic today in Winter Haven, FL with an 11-10 victory in 15 innings over Aurora University at the Chain of Lakes Park. Fisher played for 4 hours and 44 minutes and had to use two different fields as darkness set in after the 13
th inning and the two clubs had to move to the stadium onsite for the lighting. With the win the Cardinals move to 7-2 on the season.
Peter Krysztof decided to bunt with two outs and runners on the corners, his speed causing the pitcher to second guess himself and throw the ball over the first baseman’s head, allowing Matt Cahill to cross the plate for the winning run. Cahill reached on a walk, his third of the day in as many plate appearances, moving to second on a Sean Osterman sacrifice bunt and to third after Ryan Shaughnessy grounded out to short.
All the way back in the first, Aurora opened the game with two runs against Fisher starter Justin D’Amato. D’Amato earned the no-decision, giving up 11 hits and five earned runs while striking out five batters.
Steve Karnyski answered in the first, leading off with a single and eventually scoring on an error by the catcher. Karnyski finished the day 4-for-6 from the plate, with three walks, the last two being intentional.
Trailing 2-1 in the third, Fisher tied the game when Karnyski tripled to left center before being plated by a Krysztof sacrifice bunt.
Aurora scored three runs in the top of the sixth, but the Cardinals closed the gap in the bottom of the inning with two runs of their own. Ben Bostick got on base with an infield hit to second base and then swiped second with a steal. Matt Klock came up to the dish and doubled to center field, driving in Bostick. Ben Ward got in the action with a single up the middle that scored Klock, making the tally 5-4.
The opponent kept adding runs, including two in the seventh to make the score 7-4, but the Cardinals would not go away. Fisher answered with two runs in the bottom of the seventh to make it a 7-6 game. Karnyski singled up the middle to start it off, and after two outs, Bostick came up huge with a triple to right center to push Karnyski to home. Klock did the trick again, singling to right field to drive in Bostick.
The score sat at 7-6 for the eighth and top of the ninth, before Fisher was staring at its fate in the bottom of what is usually the last inning. Again Karnyski started things off, this time with a single to left. Krysztof then moved Karnyski over with another sacrifice bunt. Chris Roeder flew out to center field for the second out of the inning but moved Karnyski to third.
Bostick entered the batter’s box and had a pivotal at bat, holding off on many close pitches before advancing to first on a walk. Klock came through in the clutch, working a count before singling to second base and driving in Karnyski. The second baseman tried to make a play deep in the middle, flipping it to the shortstop to try and force out Bostick at second, but the junior was to quick and was called safe. The run knotted the game at 7-7 and sent it into extra innings.
The next three innings were scoreless before Aurora added three runs in the top of the 13
th to take a controlling 10-7 lead. Once again, Fisher could not be counted out.
This time, instead of driving in runs, Klock sparked a run, singling to right field with one out. Ward came up with a timely triple to right center, scoring Klock to make it 10-8. Cahill came up and earned his second base on balls of the game.
Osterman then singled to right, scoring Ward and moving Cahill to third, pushing the score to 10-9. Nicholas Flemister, who started the game behind the plate, hit a hard grounder to short that the defensive player could not handle, allowing Cahill to cross the dish and tie the game at 10-10.
After the inning was over, coaches and umpires discussed the darkness on the field and decided it was unsafe to continue play. Luckily there was no game being played in the on-site stadium, the only facility with lights, and after some discussion with tournament directors, the game was moved.
The move caused about a 30-minute delay but play resumed under the lights for the 14
th inning. Neither team could muster a run in the 14
th nor could the Spartans in the top of the 15
th.
This is when Cahill, Osterman and Krysztof manufactured the run the Cardinals had needed to capture the 11-10 win.
Thomas Dybas earned the win for the Cardinals, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing just two hits, no runs while fanning four Spartans. Tim Sylvester was essential for Fisher, relieving D’Amato in the sixth and throwing 6.2 innings, going over an inning longer than the starter, allowing just six hits and three runs.
The two teams combined for 21 runs and 41 hits in the 15 innings. Klock put up mind boggling numbers, going 6-for-8 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Fisher will have a quick turnaround tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. when it faces Juniata College in its last game down in Florida.