UTICA, NY - The Utica University baseball team was swept by the St. John Fisher Cardinals at home on Monday evening.
Fisher 20, Utica 4
Fisher scored each of its 20 runs in the first four innings of the game. After a three-run top of the 1st inning, Utica responded with one run in the home half on a
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) RBI single which extended his hitting streak to nine games.
The Cardinals followed with six runs in the 2nd, eight in the 3rd, and three in the 4th to go ahead 20-1.
Nathan Yantz (Rochester, NY/Greece Arcadia) scored for Utica in the bottom of the 4th as he came home from third on a 6-4-3 double play. The Pioneers added two more in the 7th inning as
Dylan Sicilia (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell ) scored on a wild pitch before
Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) singled home a run.
Crossley led the team with a pair of hits, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. On the mound,
Nicholas Greene (Ilion, NY/Central Valley Academy ) tossed 3.2 scoreless innings of relief in which he allowed two hits and sat down four batters via strikeout.
Fisher 15, Utica 2
The Cardinals opened the game with two runs in the 1st inning while
Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) tied the game in the home half with a two-out, two-RBI single to left field.
While Fisher loaded the bases with no outs in the 2nd, a line drive to
Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) began a 6-4-2 triple play after he flipped the ball to
Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw) at second to get the force out while May then threw home to get the runner at third attempting to score.
The Cardinals bats took off in the 3rd inning, however. Five more Cardinals runs in the 3rd, one in the 4th and 5th inning each and six in the 6th inning put Utica in a 15-2 deficit it could not get out of. The game ended after seven innings via the 10-run rule.
Crossley led the team with a pair of hits again, going 2-for-4 which extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Muentener and
Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) also had hits in the game.
Utica (11-10, 4-4 Empire 8) will travel to Keuka Park, NY on Friday for a twin bill against Keuka College. Game one is set to begin at 1 p.m.