ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University baseball team was swept by the St. John Fisher Cardinals in the Empire 8 Championship on Friday at Dugan Yard. Fisher took game one 14-3 before claiming its second straight league championship with a 9-2 win in game two. 
 
GAME 1: FISHER 14, UTICA 3
The Pioneers came up empty in the top of the 1st inning while the Cardinals scored one off of Ryan Cardone (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) on a solo home run by Ben Lavery. Fisher doubled its lead to 2-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning on a throwing error at shortstop by Brendan May (McGraw, NY/McGraw). 
 
Utica came back to even the game in its half of the 3rd. After Matthew Fitzgerald (Clinton, NY/Notre Dame) and Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) reached base to start the inning, the pair advanced a base each after Zac Cronk (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Central Catholic) missed a bunt attempt. Fitzgerald scored on one of the next pitches as Cronk smoked the ball to the third baseman and he subsequently mishandled the play. An RBI groundout by Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) let McCullough score from third and tie the game. 
 
However, Fisher would go on to take control from that point on. Four runs in the 3rd, three in the 4th and three in the 5th put the home team ahead 12-2 entering the 6th. 
 
The Pioneers were blanked by Cardinals' starter Alec Teska from the 6th through the 8th inning while they added two more runs in the bottom of the 8th. Utica scored one more in the top of the 9th on a two-out hit by McCullough before Fisher closed the door on game one. 
 
Cardone tossed 3.1 innings allowing nine runs, seven earned, on seven hits and two walks in the losing effort. Jack Krug (Amsterdam, NY/Canajoharie) pitched 4.1 innings in relief allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits and five walks while striking out a pair. At the plate, May and McCullough led the team with two hits each while Fitzgwerald, Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro), Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) and Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) each had one. 
 
GAME 2: FISHER 9, UTICA 2
While both sides failed to score in the 1st, Utica drew first blood in the 2nd inning. 
 
Shamariah McCullough (Brooklyn, NY/Nazareth Regional) singled home Jack Bono (Frankfort, NY/Frankfort-Fort Schuyler) on a knock through the left side of the infield before Noah Barber (Cortland, NY/Cortland) scored on a single to shortstop off the bat of Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) to give the team  a 2-0 lead. 
 
James Roeschlaub (Auburn, NY/Auburn HS) kept Fisher in check until the bottom of the 3rd inning when a one-out single down the line allowed the Cardinals to plate a pair and even the game. Roeschlaub limited the damage with a big two-out strikeout with the bases loaded. 
 
Fisher went on to take its first lead of game two in the 4th inning after the home team scored three runs to go ahead 5-2. Later in the 6th, the Cardinals added four insurance runs to go ahead 9-2. 
 
The Pioneers were unable to generate any more offense over the final three innings. Michael Muentener (Fairview, NJ/Cliff Side Park) was stranded on second base in the 7th inning while Joe Battista (South Glens Falls, NY/South Glens Falls) and Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton HS) were also left on second base after leadoff doubles in the 8th and 9th innings as Fisher took game two and the Empire 8 crown. 
 
Roeschlaub went 3.1 innings allowing four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out three in the losing effort. Kody Czternastek (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro ) and Tyler Catalfamo (Albany, NY/Colonie) combined for 2.2 scoreless innings of relief. 
 
Barber led the Pioneers with three hits while Battista had a pair of base knocks as he enters the offseason with 99 for his career. Five other players had one of the team's 10 hits as well. 
 
Utica ends its season 21-18 which ties the 1991 team for the second-most wins in a single season in program history.