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ROCHESTER, NY - The RIT Baseball team (12-9, 4-3 Empire 8) earned a split versus Empire 8 rival St. John Fisher  this afternoon at RIT Field, winning game one 4-3 and losing game two 20-4.

 

In game one, Colin Bradley (Barre, VT/Spaulding) (Barre, VT/Spaulding) hit a towering two-run home run to left field in the bottom of the sixth inning to give RIT a 4-1 lead and Mike Fox (Victor, NY/Victor) (Victor, NY/Victor) did the rest, pitching a complete game, eight-hitter, striking out five en route to his fourth win of the season. 

 

The game started as a pitcher’s duel, as Fox and St. John Fisher starter Matt Chollett kept the game scoreless after the first three innings.  In the bottom of the fourth, RIT got on the board first, scoring twice to take a 2-0 lead.

 

Adam Gerentine (Poughkeepsie, NY/Marlboro) (Poughkeepsie, NY/Marlboro) walked to open the inning, and advanced to third on a towering double by Scott Schneider (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena) (Rochester, NY/Greece Athena).  After a groundout with the infield in, Mark Sapienza (Avon, NY/Avon) (Avon, NY/Avon) ripped a single into right field, driving in Gerentine to make it 1-0.  Bradley then drove in Schneider with a groundout.

 

After Fisher made it 2-1 on a RBI single by Adam Menter in the top of the fifth, Bradley seemingly gave RIT a commanding lead with his first homer of the season.  The Cardinals did not quit however, as Chad King hit a mammoth, two-run shot with one out in the seventh to left field to make it 4-3 Tigers.  Fox held Fisher at bay, coercing a fly out and ground out to end the contest.    

 

In game two, the Cardinals (15-12, 5-3 Empire 8) exploded for a season-high 25 hits, upending RIT 20-4.  Andy Campbell went 4-for-5 with a home run, five runs scored and four RBI.  Jeff Fetzner finished 4-for-5 with five RBI.  Chris Botsford, Matt Fuller and Chris Brown each had three hits for Fisher.  Ryan Shekell got the win on the mound.

 

For RIT, John Byrne (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) (East Amherst, NY/Williamsville East) ripped his first home run of the season, a towering drive to right centerfield in the first inning to tie the game at 2.  Gerentine and Matt Singer (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) (Honeoye Falls, NY/Honeoye Falls-Lima) drove in a run apiece.

 

RIT's doubleheader scheduled for Sunday versus Medaille has been postponed due to a scheduling conflict.  The Tigers next game is Wednesday, when they travel to Troy, NY to play RPI in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.