SCHENECTADY, NY - The Utica University baseball team fell to the second-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals, 15-6, in the opening round of the Empire 8 Tournament from Central Park on Thursday.
Jason Story (Hilton, NY/Hilton) made program history with his 11th home run of the season, surpassing the previous single season program record of 10 set by Steve LaVallee in 1985. Story finished the game going 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBIs and a run scored. Six other Pioneers had one hit in the game with
Joe Crossley (Marcy, NY/Whitesboro) and
Lance Berger (Lindenhurst, NY/Saint Anthony's) each doubling.
John Longeretta (Oriskany, NY/Oriskany) had two runs driven in as well.
Austin Rhodes (Wappingers Falls, NY/Kennedy Catholic) picked up the loss on the bump after going four innings allowing three runs on five hits and four walks.
Jack Krug (Rotterdam Junction, NY/Canajoharie) went one inning in relief, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits and two walks.
Nicholas Greene (Rome, NY/Central Valley Academy) tossed the final three innings and surrendered six runs (three earned) on four hits and a walk.
Utica failed to score in the top of the 1st after getting two men aboard with two outs while Fisher jumped on the board with two runs in the bottom half. The Pioneers found the board later in the top of the 3rd when
Jacob Scalise (Utica, NY/Whitesboro) brought in Berger on a sacrifice fly to make it a 2-1 contest.
However, the Cardinals returned the favor with one of their own in the bottom of the frame on a solo home run to go up by two runs again. Utica responded with one in the top of the 4th on a
Dom Fasolo (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) RBI base-hit that put the Pioneers down by just one yet again. Rhodes held Fisher at bay in both the bottom of the 4th and 5th innings as the game entered the 6th with the Pioneers still down 3-2.
Story began the top of the 6th with a walk, but the ensuing three batters recorded outs to move into the bottom. There, Fisher put together a nine-run inning that jolted it to a 12-2 lead going into the 7th.
The Pioneers came back with four runs of their own in the top of the 7th, starting with a one-our RBI double off the bat of Crossley and a Scalise RBI ground out. Then with two outs in the inning, Story stepped in and belted his single-season program record 11th home run of the season that scored Crossley and made it a 12-6 game.
Utica held Fisher scoreless in the 7th, but the Cardinals eventually put three more on the board in the bottom of the 8th to take a 15-6 lead into the final inning. There, the Pioneers went down in order to close out the first round matchup.
Utica will battle top-seeded Russell Sage College in tomorrow's elimination game at 11 a.m. The winning team will play later Friday at 6 p.m. in another elimination game for the right to advance to Saturday's Empire 8 Championship game.
