Fisher Ends Georgia Trip With Wins Over Ranked Opponents
The St. John Fisher College softball team picked up two big wins in its final day of play at the NFCA Lead Off Classic, knocking off two top 20 teams. Fisher defeated No. 10 Central College in its first game of the day and followed with a seven-run advantage over No. 17 Ohio Northern on Sunday afternoon in Columbus, GA. Fisher will return home with a 4-6 overall season record.
The Cardinals, who posted 23 hits total in the first four games of the Lead Off Classic, hit 10 against Central and 14 against Ohio Northern for a two-game total of 24.
Game One: Fisher 6, No. 10 Central 4
With one swing of the bat Fisher senior Kayla Goodberlet set a different tone for the Cardinals as her two-run shot in the top of the seventh inning pulled her team even with Central. On her first home run of the year, Goodberlet drove in Jess D’Angelo who led off the final frame with a single.
After Goodberlet tied the game at 4-4, Kate Disbrow hit a one-out single and Meghan Burns drew a walk, putting two runners on the bases for Jennifer Knaak. Knaak drilled a single to left field, and Disbrow decided to test the fielders arm. However, the sophomore was able to cross standing up after the relay throw hit a field umpire.
Leanne Merchant drove in the final run for Fisher with two outs when she doubled to deep left field. Burns came across the plate but Knaak was tagged by the catcher at home to end the inning.
Fisher went up 1-0 in the opening inning on another double from Merchant, again scoring Burns.
But the Dutch answered with a four-run fourth inning with all runs coming with two outs. After scoring on a single to tie the game at 1-1, Central’s time was extend after a Goodberlet wasn’t able to make a throw to first base to end the inning. The blunder allowed a runner to come home from third and, on the next batter, a Dutch pinch hitter singled to right field. That hit cleared the base paths and gave Central a 4-1 lead, setting up Fisher’s come-from-behind victory.
Danielle Leone earned the win for Fisher after replacing starter Sarah Stefanon in the sixth inning. Stefanon picked up seven strikeouts in her appearance, with only one of the Dutch runs coming earned. Leone kept Central hitless while sending two batters down on strikes.
Goodberlet, Merchant and Disbrow all tallied two hits for the Cardinals, while Lauren Owens also had a hit in a pinch hitting appearance.
Game Two: Fisher 11, No. 17 Ohio Northern 4
The Cardinals kept the bats swinging in their second game of the day, putting together a five-run sixth inning and two three-run innings to beat the Polar Bears. Goodberlet kept her strong game going, totaling five RBI to bring her day total to seven.
With the score 4-3 in the bottom of the fifth inning and the bases loaded, Goodberlet stepped to the plate and hit a deep ball to left field. The double cleared the bases and put Fisher up for good at 6-4.
Fisher started the game quickly, posting three runs in the first inning and taking only two batters to make it 1-0. Burns opened the game with a double that fell just short of the fence, but was brought in immediately on a single down the line from Knaak. In a foreshadowing of the fifth inning, Goodberlet came to the plate with the bases loaded after a hit from Merchant and a walk by D’Angelo. The infielder hit a hard ball up the middle, sending home two runs.
After scoring two runs in the second inning, Ohio Northern took the lead at 4-3 in the fourth when Carly McKenzie singled to center field to earn two RBI. But that wouldn’t be enough, as Fisher’s bats stayed hot.
The Cardinals put a stamp on the game with a five-run sixth inning with Knaak and Sarah Fordyce picking up one RBI each. A Merchant at bat accounted for the other two, as she doubled with two runners on and moved to third on the throw. In that same play, Merchant reached home on a throwing error by the second baseman that went out of play, giving her home plate.
Stefanon picked up her first win of the season after she came in for relief. Merchant and Goodberlet led with three hits each, while five other Cardinals totaled hits.
Fisher will return to New York State for its next games, hosting RIT on March 23
rd in a doubleheader that starts at 1 p.m.