Utica, NY (4/19/15)- The Utica College softball team dropped a pair of games to Empire 8 Conference rival St. John Fisher, falling 2-0 and 7-2, Sunday afternoon at Greenman Field.
 
The Pioneers drop to 12-14 overall and 4-6 in conference play.  Utica looks to bounce back as it has eight games next week.  UC kicks off the week as it welcomes Sage on Tuesday for a non-conference double-header.  Game time is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.  Fisher improves to 23-9 (7-3 Empire 8) on the year.  It returns home Monday to face RIT.  Game time is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
Utica 0, St. John Fisher 2- Game One Final
After five scoreless innings, the Cardinals used one run in each of the final two innings to pick up the victory.  Alysa Russell (Mechanicville, NY/Mechanicville), Dominique Soto (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place), Courtney Fitzgerald (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), Kassidy Ogren (Albany, NY/Colonie Central), Cassie Smith (Delmar, NY/Bethlehem Central), Alaina Wickwire (Towanda, PA/Towanda), and Christy Traglia (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) each had one hit. 
 
Fisher's Lindsey Thayer had seven strikeouts to lead the way for the Cardinals, while freshman Brittany Meka (Averill Park, NY/Averill Park) struck out three in the loss. 
 
Utica 2, St. John Fisher 7- Game Two Final
Fisher converted on two Utica errors in the top of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead.  The Cardinals added a pair of runs in the fourth before breaking the game open in the seventh with four runs. 
 
Russell, Fitzgerald, Ogren, Sabrina Stransky (Miller Place, NY/Miller Place), and Samantha Whitehouse (Greenwich, NY/Greenwich) each had hits for Utica, with Russell driving in two scores in the bottom of the seventh with a single to center field.
 
Abby Monroe (Watertown, NY/General Brown) struck out four batters and gave up just five hits in the loss, with Thayer also fanning four and allowing five hits as she improved to 15-5 on the season. 
 
Utica stranded a combined 15 runners on base over the two games, including twice with the bases loaded.