Baseball | 5/8/2026 10:12:37 PM
Top-seed Russell Sage College (35-5) and No. 3 seed St. John Fisher University (29-11) will meet in the championship round of the 2026 Empire 8 Baseball Tournament after advancing through on Friday, May 8. The nationally-ranked Gators defeated St. John Fisher, 8-5 in the winners bracket game on Friday afternoon. No. 2 SUNY Brockport (22-21) opened the day by defeating No. 4 seed Utica University (23-17), 5-1 in an elimination game before St. John Fisher hung on to eliminate SUNY Brockport, 10-9 in the nightcap Friday.
Russell Sage and St. John Fisher will meet in the game six of the tournament at 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 9 from Central Park “A” Diamond, in Schenectady, NY. If St. John Fisher wins game six, that would set up a winner-take-all game seven, which would be played at 7:30 p.m. The top-seeded Gators are in the E8 Championship round for the second straight season and third time overall and is looking to win its first Empire 8 Championship. St. John Fisher is aiming to win its fifth title in the last six seasons and seventh overall E8 Championship.
GAME 3 – NO. 2 SUNY BROCKPORT 5, NO. 4 UTICA 1
With the season on the line, Brockport received a dominant performance from
Camden Schaffer on the mound. The right-hander tossed a complete game, allowing just one run on eight hits while striking out eight across nine innings to lead the Golden Eagles past the Pioneers.
Brockport struck first in the opening inning when Blake Fortunato delivered an RBI single to right field, scoring Evan Brock for the game's first run. The Golden Eagles added to their advantage in the fourth inning as Michael Norton produced a two-RBI single before Cole Grazioplene crossed the plate on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 4-0.
Matthew Coon added another run in the fifth with a solo home run to left field. Utica answered with a solo homer in the sixth, but Schaffer settled in and closed out the contest by retiring the side in the ninth inning to secure the victory and keep Brockport's tournament hopes alive.
GAME 4 – NO. 1 RUSSELL SAGE 8, NO. 3 ST. JOHN FISHER 5
Fisher totaled 12 hits on the afternoon but was unable to sustain the momentum built through six strong innings. Jackson Frey led the way, going 2-for-4 with a solo home run in the eighth and an RBI single in the sixth, finishing with two RBI. Jack Griffin contributed a double and an RBI in the sixth to spark the Cardinals' first scoring of the game, while Jordan Perry went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Mario Cubello added two hits and an RBI in the ninth, and Noah Pohrte finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Hunter Fales chipped in a double as well as the Cardinals finished with multiple-hit innings in the sixth, eighth, and ninth but were unable to bridge the gap.
On the mound, Sean Cleary was dominant through six innings, holding Sage to no hits and striking out six while allowing only one unearned run. He ran into trouble in the seventh, however, allowing two hits and walking a batter before being lifted with one out. The inning unraveled as Luke Horton allowed a wild pitch and a two-run double before recording two strikeouts. Horton issued a leadoff walk to open the eighth before Nathan Benjamin took over and was touched for four hits and two more runs. Nathan Weber came on to escape the jam with a strikeout to end the inning. Fisher's staff finished the game with 10 strikeouts but was undone by a seven-run second half.
Sage wasted no time in the first inning, taking advantage of an error to put Nick Irizarry on base. Irizarry eventually came around to score an unearned run as Sean Cleary was otherwise sharp, stranding runners and keeping Sage off the board through an otherwise clean opening frame.
Cleary then locked in completely, retiring Sage in order in the second, third, fourth, and fifth innings while striking out six over that stretch. Sage was held hitless through the first six innings with Cleary completely in command.
Fisher broke through in the sixth. Mario Cubello singled and advanced to second on a wild pitch, and Jack Griffin followed with an RBI double to left field to tie the game at 1-1. With two outs, Jackson Frey then singled to left to score Griffin and give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
Fisher had their best chance to extend the lead in the seventh, loading the bases with two outs on back-to-back walks to Penafeather and Pohrte, but Jack Griffin flew out to strand three runners and keep the score at 2-1.
Sage's offense came alive in the bottom of the seventh against a tiring Cleary. Joseph Karpierz led off with a double to left and Evan Grimes singled him home to tie the game. Grimes then stole third, and after a Kennedy strikeout and Casey walk, Cleary gave way to Luke Horton with runners on first and third. Darren Dengler singled to left to score Grimes, and a Horton wild pitch scored Collin Casey to make it 4-2. After a strikeout, Nick Chicawa doubled to left for a two-run hit, pushing the lead to 5-2 before Horton struck out Irizarry to end the frame.
Fisher answered in the eighth when Jackson Frey led off with a solo home run to left to make it 5-3. But Sage added three more in their half of the inning. With Anthony Rizzo reaching on a walk, the Cardinals burned through three pitchers — Benjamin allowing a Jayden Kennedy single, a Collin Casey RBI single, and a Darren Dengler two-run single through the middle — before Nathan Weber finally ended the rally with a strikeout to close out the frame at 8-3.
Fisher made things interesting in the ninth, stringing together four consecutive hits against Aidan Green. Pohrte singled, Vanderlip singled, and Cubello singled to right to score Pohrte and make it 8-4. Perry then singled home Vanderlip to pull within three at 8-5. Greg Mays came on in relief and retired Griffin on a strikeout and Bucello on a pop to the catcher to end the threat and close out the Sage victory.
Sean Cleary took the loss despite six dominant innings, allowing just one unearned run through six frames. Frey's solo home run in the eighth was Fisher's only extra-base hit with an RBI, finishing 2-for-4 on the afternoon.
GAME 5 – NO. 3 ST. JOHN FISHER 10, NO. 2 SUNY BROCKPORT 9
Fisher totaled 13 hits in the victory with a lineup that produced throughout. Jackson Frey led the way, going 2-for-5 with a run-scoring double in the eighth and an RBI single in the first, driving in two runs total. Brendan Bucello was equally clutch, delivering a two-run double in the eighth inning to blow the game open, finishing 1-for-4 with two RBI and a walk. Noah Pohrte provided the spark that tied the game, doubling to left field to score two runs in the sixth. Mario Cubello added a double and an RBI in the sixth as well, while Jacob Penafeather went 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Jack Griffin contributed an RBI single in the eighth, and Hunter Fales and Jordan Perry each produced two hits as well.
On the mound, Robert Leach started and surrendered Matthew Coon's three-run home run in the first inning before being lifted after one frame. Benjamin Huckans followed with three innings of work, allowing one run before giving way to Dylan Becker, who bridged the gap effectively through the eighth. Becker ran into trouble in the ninth, however, surrendering a two-run home run to Michael Norton. Brandon Benkovics came on and allowed a two-run shot to Coon before slamming the door, striking out two and retiring the final batter to preserve the 10-9 victory.
Fisher drew first blood in the first inning. Mario Cubello singled and Jordan Perry followed with a single to center to put two runners on. Jackson Frey then singled to right to plate Cubello for a 1-0 lead. Brockport answered in a big way in the bottom half, however, as Michael Norton doubled and Steven Merkel walked to set the table. Matthew Coon then sent a three-run home run over the left field fence off Robert Leach to give Brockport a 3-1 lead after one.
Fisher tied it briefly in the second when Hunter Fales doubled to left and Jacob Penafeather singled him home to make it 3-2. Brockport pushed back in their half of the second as Blake Fortunato doubled, advanced on a Kyle Blake sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Cole Grazioplene RBI single to restore a two-run Brockport advantage at 4-2.
The Golden Eagles stretched the lead to 5-2 in the fourth when Grazioplene singled, advanced on a wild pitch, and scored on a Norton RBI single off Benjamin Huckans.
Fisher responded in the sixth to knot the score at five. Brendan Bucello drew a leadoff walk and Hunter Fales reached on a Dixon error at third base, putting two on with nobody out. Jacob Penafeather executed a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners, and Noah Pohrte followed with a two-run double to left field to score both Bucello and Fales. Mario Cubello then doubled to left to score Pohrte and complete the three-run frame at 5-5.
Dylan Becker kept Brockport off the board through the sixth and seventh, highlighted by a backpicked pinch runner in the seventh, that cut off a potential Brockport rally.
Fisher broke the game open in the eighth with five runs off Ben Yerina and Nick Ianniello. Penafeather doubled to right to open the frame and moved to third on a Pohrte single to left. A Vanderlip walk loaded the bases with nobody out. Cubello lifted a sacrifice fly to score Penafeather, and Griffin followed with a RBI single to plate Pohrte. With runners on second and third, Frey drilled a two-run double to right to extend the lead, and Bucello capped the inning with a two-run double down the left field line to push Fisher ahead 10-5.
Brockport made it interesting in the ninth with back-to-back two-run home runs — Norton off Becker and Coon off Benkovics — to pull within one at 10-9. But Benkovics got Evan Brock to strike out, retired James Dixon on a flyout, and fanned Blake Fortunato to end the threat and send Fisher through.
Coon finished with 2 home runs and 5 RBI for Brockport, including the three-run blast in the first that put Fisher in an early hole.
Fisher's five-run eighth inning featured four consecutive RBI — Cubello (SF), Griffin (single), Frey (double), and Bucello (double) — with two outs driving in three of the five runs.
Dylan Becker worked four innings of relief, holding Brockport scoreless from the fifth through the eighth.
2026 Empire 8 Baseball Championship Schedule
May 4 at SUNY Poly; All games from May 7-9 to be hosted by Russell Sage College and played at Central Park "A" in Schenectady, NY)
Monday, May 4 (At Higher Seed – SUNY Poly)
No. 6 Keuka College defeated No. 5 SUNY Poly, 6-3 – BOX SCORE
Thursday, May 7 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Play-In Game – No. 4 Utica University defeated No. 6 Keuka College, 12-11 (12 Innings – Keuka Eliminated) – BOX SCORE
Game 1 – No. 3 St. John Fisher defeated No. 2 SUNY Brockport, 3-0 – BOX SCORE
Game 2 – No. 1 Russell Sage defeated No. 4 Utica University, 14-3 – BOX SCORE
Friday, May 8 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Game 3 – No. 2 SUNY Brockport defeated No. 4 Utica University, 5-1 (Utica eliminated) – 11 a.m. (elimination game) – BOX SCORE
Game 4 – No. 1 Russell Sage College defeated No. 3 St. John Fisher University, 8-5 – BOX SCORE
Game 5 – No. 3 St. John Fisher University defeated No. 2 SUNY Brockport, 10-9 (Brockport eliminated) – BOX SCORE
Saturday, May 9 (at Central Park “A” – Schenectady, NY – host Russell Sage College)
Game 6 – No. 3 St. John Fisher University at No. 1 Russell Sage College – 4 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS
Game 7 – No. 3 St. John Fisher University at No. 1 Russell Sage College (If Necessary) – 7:30 p.m. – VIDEO/LIVE STATS