Baseball | 5/6/2022 8:52:27 PM
Both Empire 8 Semifinal series' will need a decisive third game. Top-seed St. John Fisher College (27-14) and No. 4 seed Elmira College (13-23-1) split a pair of games on Friday, May 6, as did No. 2 Utica (20-16) and No. 3 Russell Sage (14-26-1). The Cardinals will host Elmira at 1 p.m., while Utica will take on Russell Sage at noon on Saturday, May 7 with a trip to the Empire 8 Championship series at stake.
GAME 1 - NO. 4 ELMIRA 6, NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 5; GAME 2 - NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 31, NO. 4 ELMIRA 2
In game one, with the score tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the second, Fisher forged ahead after
Luke Duffy sent a shot over the center field wall to give the home team a 2-1 edge.
After swapping zeroes over the next two innings, Elmira came to life at the plate with four runs on three hits including a three-run blast by Joe Morrone in the top of the fifth to open up a 5-2 advantage before the Cardinals could retire the side.
Still facing a three-run gap in the bottom of the seventh, Fisher countered as
Noah Campanelli led off with a single the opposite way before
Ben Lavery was hit by a pitch. With two on and one away,
Nick Lemire worked a walk to load the bases before
Brian Norsen drove in a run with a groundout to second. Trailing 5-3 with two runners still occupying a base, Duffy collected two more RBI with a two-out single to right that tied the game at five runs aside.
In the top of the eighth, Elmira put its leadoff hitter on with a single and moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. After making a change on the mound, Fisher notched the second out of the inning with a flyout, but was unable to get off the field as the Colin McLaughlin singled trough the right side to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run.
Following a scoreless eighth inning, Fisher came to bat in the bottom of the ninth facing a one-run deficit. Lemire would reach on an infield error before Norsen singled to move the tying run into scoring position. With two on and the heart of the order due up, Elmira was able to work out of the jam with a strikeout and a lineout to right to earn the 6-5 decision.
In the nightcap, the Cardinals greeted the Elmira with starter with seven runs after sending 11 hitters to the plate before the side was retired. In all, Fisher came away with eight hits as
Ethan Perry, Noah Campanelli, Michel Beimel, Nick Lemire and Luke Duffy each driving in at least one run.
The Cardinals continued to pour it on in the bottom of the second after a leadoff double from Beimel came around to score when Brian Norsen drove him in with a single up the gut. With one run already in, Fisher forced the Soaring Eagles into an error on the base paths as Norsen scampered home to make it 9-0 heading to the top of the third.
After giving a run back in the top of the fourth, the Cardinals strung together another deep inning after 18 hitters came to the dish resulting in 12 runs on seven hits to open up a 21-1 cushion.
Connor McHugh moved to 7-1 on the hill for the Cardinals after allowing just one run over five innings.
Jason Wall held Elmira to one run over the final four innings and finished with a career-best eight strikeouts to earn his first-career save.
The team went on to produce 31 runs in the win, which matched a program record set in 2001 when the Cardinals defeated Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, 31-6.
GAME 1 - NO. 2 UTICA 12, NO. 3 RUSSELL SAGE 0; GAME 2 - RUSSELL SAGE 4, UTICA 1
In game one, Pioneers starter
Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) retired the side in order in the 1st inning, clearing the way for the offense to strike big in the home half.
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) drove in the first two runs of the game on a single up the middle before he came across on a passed ball to put Utica up 3-0.
Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) followed with an RBI groundout while
Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) singled home
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) to give Cardone and the team a 5-0 lead entering the 2nd.
After another shutdown inning out of the sophomore Cardone, Utica added four more runs in the bottom half of the 2nd. With the bases loaded,
Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) was hit by a pitch to allow
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) to score from third. May drove him the team's seventh run on a fielder's choice before Fitzgerald made it 9-0 on a single through the right side.
Cardone was able to escape a 3rd inning jam unharmed after the first two Sage batters reached base as well as a 4th inning that saw the Gators have two men on with two away.
The Pioneers scored three more runs in the 4th inning, two of which off of a
Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) single and then an RBI sacrifice fly by
Dylan Sicilia (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell ) to push the lead to 12-0. Cardone continued to cruise with the big lead as he allowed just one hit from the 5th through 7th innings while
Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) came on for the final two innings to give Utica a 1-0 series lead.
Cardone allowed just three hits over seven shutout innings to go with six strikeouts and no walks. Czternastek allowed two hits over his two shutout frames. At the plate, Crossley and Fasolo led the team with two hits each. Fitzgerald led the Pioneers with three RBI while Crossley, Fasolo and Cronk all had a pair.
In game two, sophomore infielder/outfielder
Alexander Andrew (Port Washington, NY/Schreiber) went 3-for-5 with three RBI to help Russell Sage College to a 4-1 win. The third and deciding game of the best-of-three series is set for Saturday at 12:00 pm.
Catcher Dillon Maxon (Troy, NY/Tamarac), a grad student, went 4-for-5 with a run scored, while freshman infielder Andrew Knapp (Nanuet, NY/Nanuet) was 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored to help RSC (14-26-1) ensure a tomorrow.
Sophomore right-hander William Simkin (Canberra, Australia/Canberra Grammar) permitted just four hits across seven innings to get the win, while freshman right-hander Colby Phelps (Troy, NY/Tamarac) tossed a pair of shutout frames in relief.
After both squads put across a run in the first, Andrew and Knapp put the Gators up 3-1 with RBI doubles in the fifth. In the seventh, Andrew singled home Maxon to give RSC, the three seed, an insurance marker.
2022 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Schedule
Empire 8 Semifinal Round (Best-of-3, Doubleheader Friday, May 6, If Necessary, Deciding Game Saturday, May 7
GAME 1 – #4 Elmira College defeated #1 St. John Fisher College, 6-5 – BOX SCORE
GAME 2 – #1 St. John Fisher College defeated #4 Elmira College, 31-2 – BOX SCORE
GAME 3 – #4 Elmira College at #1 St. John Fisher College – Saturday, May 7 – 1 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
GAME 1 – #2 Utica College defeated #3 Russell Sage College, 12-0 – BOX SCORE
GAME 2 – #3 Russell Sage College defeated #2 Utica College, 4-1 – BOX SCORE
GAME 3 – #3 Russell Sage College at #2 Utica College – GAME 3 (If necessary), Saturday, May 7 – 12 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Empire 8 Championship Round (Best-of-3, Doubleheader Friday, May 13, If Necessary, Deciding Game Saturday, May 14 or Sunday, May 15
Winner of Semifinal Round 1 vs. Winner of Semifinal Round 2 – TBA at Highest Remaining Seed