Softball | 5/10/2024 8:17:39 PM
No. 3 seed Utica University (22-13) and top-seed St. John Fisher University (32-5) will meet in the championship round of the 2024 Empire 8 Softball Tournament after advancing on Friday, May 10. The Pioneers defeated St. John Fisher, 7-3 in the opening game on Friday morning, while No. 2 seed Alfred (27-14) defeated No. 4 Russell Sage College (13-24) in the first elimination game of the day. The Cardinals rallied to defeat Alfred, 8-7 in nine innings the second elimination game on Friday afternoon to advance to the championship round.
Utica and St. John Fisher will meet in the game six of the tournament at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 11. Utica, who is unbeaten in the tournament, would claim the Empire 8 Championship with a win in game six. If St. John Fisher wins game six, that would set up a winner-take-all game seven, which would be played at 1:30 p.m. St. John Fisher is in the title game for the ninth straight time is and looking to claim its ninth league tittle, while Utica is in the E8 Championship game for the fourth time in program history and first since 2018. The Pioneers are looking to win their first E8 title.
GAME 3 - NO. 3 UTICA 7, NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 3
No. 3 Utica University softball team advanced to Saturday's Empire 8 Championship round following its 7-3 win over top-seeded St. John Fisher in the semifinals on Friday morning.
The win not only snapped Fisher's 21-game winning streak, but also advanced Utica to the Empire 8 Championship game for the first time since 2018. The Pioneers will need to win one game on Saturday to capture the league crown for the first time in program history while their opponent will need to down them twice.
Rachel Little (Burbank, CA/John Burroughs) drove in five runs with four coming off a first inning grand slam for her first collegiate home run.
Jennifer Rodriguez (Sylmar, CA/John F. Kennedy) was dialed in, going 3-for-3 with a run scored.
Lauren Paul (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) also drove in a pair on a clutch two-run home run in the 6th.
Maddie Zulager (Moorpark, CA/Moorpark) and
Frankie Luster (Granada Hills, CA/Granada Hills Charter) each had base-hits as well.
Jordyn Conte (Newport, NY/West Canada Valley High School) dazzled in the circle en route to her ninth win of the year. The graduate student went four-plus innings allowing just two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four.
Kylie Murray (Eastchester, NY/Eastchester) notched her second save of the year, going three innings allowing one run on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
After Conte set down the Cardinals in order in the top of the 1st, Utica's half of the frame looked to end similarly as Luster stood at first base with two gone. However, Rodriguez singled and
Cassidy Doiron (Beacon Falls, CT/Woodland Regional) worked a hard-fought walk to load the bases with two away, sending Little to the dish. The freshman sat back and drove the ball on a line to center field, putting just enough on it to clear the fence for her first career home run and a 4-0 Pioneer lead.
Conte remained locked-in in the circle, allowing just one base runner between the 2nd and 3rd innings before Fisher broke through in the 4th. With runners on base, back-to-back two-out singles drove in one run each to cut Utica's lead down to two runs. Conte forced a ground out on the next at-bat to escape the jam.
Murray entered the game in relief in the top of the 5th with a runner on first and set her first three batters down in order, moving into the bottom half where the Pioneers also came up empty.
In the top of the 6th, however, Fisher trimmed its deficit further with a towering solo home run by Emily McManus to make it a 4-3 game. Despite two more reaching base with one out, Murray struck out the ensuing two batters to move the game into the bottom half.
Zulager and Rodriguez started with back-to-back singles while on Rodriguez's hit, pinch-runner
Courtney Robinson (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) made her way to third. Two batters later, Little came through again with an RBI on a fielder's choice. The very next batter, Paul, hit a screaming liner over the right-center field fence for two more insurance runs to bring the game into the 7th with Utica up 7-3.
GAME 4 - NO. 2 ALFRED 14, NO. 4 RUSSELL SAGE 4
Alfred broke open a close game with eight runs in the top of the seventh inning to advance to game five and eliminate No. 4 seed Russell Sage.
Alfred got on the board first in the top of the first inning, when
Jessica Remm (Carmel, IN/Carmel) hit a home run to bring
Mya Wells (San Ramon, CA/California) in as well. Wells then made it a four-run lead in the top of the fourth with a single up the middle to bring home
Paris Guzman (Santa Fe Springs, CA/Santa Fe) and
Kody Watson (Flagstaff, AZ/Coconino).
Sage scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to make it, 4-3 in favor of AU.
Abigail Gatza (Burlington, ON, Canada/Assumption Catholic) responded with a single up the middle to bring Remm home in the top of the fifth. It would prove to be the game-winning run and make it 5-3, despite RSC scoring one more run in the sixth inning.
Just prior to that Gator run, Wells hit a solo homer on the top of the sixth inning. It was her first of two on the day. Guzman started the seventh inning scoring spree with a three-run home run that brought home
Meghan Neto (Miami, FL/Doral Academy Charter) and Gatza.
Darby McEnery (Corona, CA/Norco) doubled to right center field to bring Watson home, making the score, 10-3. She then crossed home plate herself when Wells doubled to left center. Wells scored the 12th Saxon run of the game when
Samantha Vidal (Lake Worth, FL/Forest Hill) picked up an RBI, getting safe at first on an error by Sage's second base player. Remm hit her second home run of the day just before Guzman drove home Neto for the final run of the game.
Megan Bennett (Athens, PA/Athens Area) picked up her 20th win of the season to break the AU school record, held by
Nicole Hedrick '12 and her 2010 season, winning 19 that year. Bennett recorded four strikeouts in the win.
Isabella Vano was 2-for-3 a double, two runs scored and RBI for Russell Sage.
GAME 5 - NO. 1 ST. JOHN FISHER 8, NO. 2 ALFRED 7 (9 INNINGS)
Emily McManus hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Cardinals to a wild 8-7 win over No. 2 Alfred to advance to Saturday’s E8 Championship round.
Both teams started off with big scoring efforts. Wells hit a home run on the opening at-bat off the second pitch to get AU on the board. Neto then singled to left field to bring Vidal home. Remm scored when Gatza singled to the short stop for the early, 3-0 Alfred lead after the top of the first.
However,
Mari Spitz quickly evened the score at 3-3 with a three-run home run in the bottom of the frame.
Watson responded with a two-run home run in the top of the third that just went over the centerfield fence, giving AU the 5-3 lead as Gatza scored on the play as well.
In the bottom of the third inning, Fisher roared back as a towering grand slam from
Kelly Cournoyer pushed the Cardinals ahead 7-5.
The Saxons tied the game in the top of the fourth inning when, with Vidal on first and Wells on third, Vidal stole second, drawing the Cardinal catcher to attempt a throw and allowing Wells to steal home. Both runners were safe on the play. Remm then doubled to left field to bring Vidal home, tying the game, 7-7.
From there, Bennett and
Ainsley Evanetski matched zeroes over the next five innings. In the bottom of the ninth,
Maddie Donlin worked a walk and was moved over to scoring position thanks to a sacrifice bunt by
Taylor Shackleton. McManus came to the plate and brought Donlin home on a walk-off single to left-field.
Spitz was incredible at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Shackleton and McManus both recorded 2-for-4 days. Evanetski took over the first inning for Ormond and proceeded to pitch 9.0 innings and allowed four runs on nine hits and struck out six. She did not allow a run over the final five innings.
St. John Fisher and Utica are meeting for the fourth time this season, all in the last week and second time this weekend. The Cardinals won both contests last Saturday by scores of 2-1 and 5-1 before Utica’s 7-3 win this morning in game three of the E8 Tournament.
2024 Empire 8 Softball Championship Schedule
Tuesday, May 7 (First Round at Russell Sage)
No. 4 Russell Sage defeated No. 5 Keuka, 5-0 – BOX SCORE
All Games at St. John Fisher
Thursday, May 9
Game 1 – No. 3 Utica defeated No. 2 Alfred, 9-7 – BOX SCORE
Game 2 – No. 1 St. John Fisher defeated No. 4 Russell Sage, 7-2 – BOX SCORE
Friday, May 10
Game 3 – No. 3 Utica defeated No. 1 St. John Fisher, 7-3 – BOX SCORE
Game 4 – No. 2 Alfred defeated No. 4 Russell Sage, 14-4 – (Russell Sage elminated) – BOX SCORE
Game 5 – No. 1 St. John Fisher defeated No. 2 Alfred, 8-7 (9 innings, Alfred eliminated) – BOX SCORE
Saturday, May 11
Game 6 – No. 3 Utica vs. No. 1 St. John Fisher – 11 am – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 7 – If Necessary – 1:30 pm – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
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
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