ROCHESTER, NY - The Utica University softball team advanced to Saturday's Empire 8 Championship game following its win over top-seeded St. John Fisher in the semifinals on Friday afternoon. 
 
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 1st 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 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. 
 
There, 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. 
 
The first Cardinal batter reached on a double before moving to third on a ground out. The next batter popped up to Doiron at first base before Murray induced the game-ending ground out to ship the Pioneers off to the Empire 8 Championship game on Saturday. 
 
Utica will await the winner of the final elimination game to take on in the championship. Game one is set for noon while game two, if necessary, is to be played right after.