Ithaca and St. John Fisher Post Key Wins, Stevens Stays Alive During First Day of E8 Baseball Championship

5/9/2019 3:23:47 PM

Ithaca and St. John Fisher posted impressive wins during the opening day of the 2019 Empire 8 Conference Baseball Tournament to advance to the winners' bracket, while Stevens defeated Utica in the nightcap to stay alive during Thursday's action at Ithaca's Freeman Field. Here's how Thursday's day one action played out - 

#1 Ithaca 5, #4 Utica 0  |  BOXSCORE
No. 25 Ithaca posted an impressive 5-0 win over Utica in the first game of the E8 Baseball Tournament at Freeman Field behind eight shutout innings on the mound from senior Emmett Dunn. With the win, the Bombers are now 29-7 and advance to the winners' bracket of this weekend's championship. 

The Bombers struck in the bottom of the first inning as senior Webb Little scored on a wild pitch with two outs to give Ithaca a 1-0 lead.  Ithaca extended its lead to 2-0 in bottom of third on an RBI base hit by senior Cam Fuoti, which brought in Little, who led off with a double down the left field line.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Bombers plated three runs on three hits to build their lead to 5-0. The first run of the frame, Webb Little came home on a double to left-center by senior Sam Little.  Fuoti then made the score 4-0 with a sacrifice left to left, which brought home senior Adam Gallagher. On the very next pitch, junior Buzz Shirley stroked a base hit to right and Little scored from second to cap off the inning.

In the top of the eighth, Utica put its first two runners on with a hit by pitch and walk, but Dunn induced a fielder's choice and double play to preserve the shutout. Dunn finished the game with six strikeouts and three hits allowed for his seventh win of the year. 

The Bombers wil now play Fisher tomorrow in the first game of the day.

#3 St. John Fisher 8, #2 Stevens 4  |  BOXSCORE
Junior Anthony Brophy pitched 5.2 innings in relief while Stephen Edgett had three hits on the day as third-seeded St. John Fisher defeated second-seeded Stevens, 8-4, in the opening round of the E8 Championship at Ithaca's Freeman Field.  With the win, Fisher moved to 28-12 on the season and will face top-seeded Ithaca on Friday in the winners' bracket.

After falling behind by a run in the bottom of the first inning, the Cardinals answered in the top of the second with three runs on three hits to claim a two-run edge. Ryan Simmons led off the frame with a single to center before Michael Beimel blooped a base hit to shallow right.  With two on and no outs, Ryan Brown dropped a sacrifice bunt down to move the runners up before Jake Hewitt stepped in and clubbed a three-run shot over the left field fence before the Ducks could get off the field.

The lead would be short-lived, however, as Stevens chased Fisher starter Kenneth Westbrook from the game in the home half of the second after coming away with two runs on two hits to knot the game up at three runs apiece.

Junior Thomas Pasquale staked the Cardinals to a one-run lead after the Endicott native cracked his team-leading 20th double of the season to score Edgett from first. Fisher added a run to its advantage in the top of the seventh as Edgett lifted a solo shot well over the left field fence to give Brophy a two-run cushion, 5-3.

The Cardinals carried the momentum into the top of the ninth as Edgett picked up his third hit of the afternoon with a double down the left field line before eventually scoring on a fielder's choice with Pasquale picking up an RBI on the play. With three on and one away, Beimel afforded the Cardinals some breathing room as the sophomore backstop drove in a pair with a single up the middle to make it 8-4.

Brophy moved to 6-1 with the win as the North Tonawanda native allowed one run on three hits and finished with eight strikeouts. Fisher had 12 hits with Edgett going 3-for-5 with a double, a home run and three runs scored.  Pasquale had two hits in five at-bats with a double and two RBI while Beimel drove in a pair in the win.     

#2 Stevens 7, #4 Utica 5  |  BOXSCORE
Stevens plated solo runs in five plate appearances and got a key two-run homerun in the top of the ninth to stay alive in the 2019 E8 Baseball Tournament in the first elimination game of the weekend. With the win, the Ducks improved to 18-20 on the season and will now await the loser of the first game tomorrow between Ithaca and Fisher.

Stevens' starter Danny Poidomani recorded his third win of the season, as the lefty worked six sold innings. Poidomani allowed just three hits and two runs in the win. Donny Gherardi led the attack offensively for the Ducks as he finished 4-4 in the win, and drove in four runs. Utica's Matthew Fitzgerald had two hits in the loss as the Pioneers see their season come to a close with a final mark of 15-24. 

2019 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Schedule
Thursday, May 9
Game 1 - No. 1 Ithaca 5, No. 4 Utica 0 
Game 2 - No. 3 St. John Fisher 8, #2 Stevens 4 
Game 3 - No. 3 Stevens, No. 4 Utica 
 
Friday, May 10
Game 4 - Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 12pm
Game 5 - Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 | 3pm
 
Saturday, May 11
Game 6 - Winner of Game 4 vs. Winner of Game 5 | 10am
Game 2 - If necessary | 1:30pm 
 
Sunday, May 12 - Rain date if necessary

 - Information for this release provided by the athletic communication staffs at Fisher and Ithaca - 

ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit www.empire8.com and https://youtu.be/wzL4HcDoUUQ