Baseball | 4/2/2010 5:50:16 PM

Click here for game one stats

Click here for game two stats

ROCHESTER, NY – The RIT baseball team (10-5, 2-0 Empire 8) extended its winning streak to eight games after sweeping Empire 8 foe St. John Fisher (8-8, 0-2 Empire 8), 2-1 and 7-6 in the conference opener for both teams on an unseasonably warm Friday afternoon at RIT Field.

RIT continues its recent mastery of the Cardinals, improving to 9-1 against the Cardinals in the last three seasons.

In game one, Justin Smith (Livonia, NY/Livonia) hit a sacrifice fly with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning to break a 1-1 tie, scoring Ed Hughes (Jamesville, NY/Jamesville-Dewitt) to lift the Tigers to a 2-1 win in game one.

The game was a classic pitcher's duel, with Fisher's Dan Jurik and RIT's Geoff Dornes (Landsville, PA/Hempfield) matching each other strike for strike over the first five innings.

Fisher took advantage of two RIT errors to push across the first run of the game in the third inning. RIT would tie the game in the bottom of the sixth inning, loading the bases with one out, chasing Jurik from the game. Geoff Martone replaced Jurik and promptly hit Dave Kernan (North Syracuse, NY/Cicero-North Syracuse), which forced in a run.

In the seventh inning, Hughes led off with a single and advanced to second on a balk. After an out, Ben Robertson (Mecklenburg, NY/Trumansburg) moved Hughes to third with an infield single. Smith then hit a fly ball to center field, scoring Hughes to win the game. Robertson was 2-for-3 with a stolen base.

Dornes was strong on the mound for RIT, scattering four hits and an unearned run for his third win of the season. He got out of a one-out bases loaded jam in the fifth inning, getting a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

Jurik allowed four hits and struck out six batters in 5 1/3 innings for Fisher.

In game two, Hughes broke a 6-6 tie, scoring on a safety squeeze bunt by Ryan Campbell (Brockport, NY/Brockport) in the bottom of the fifth inning.

St. John Fisher jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning, but the Tigers responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning. St. John Fisher scored twice in the top of the fourth inning, but RIT came back with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Kernan continued his stellar hitting, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Smith was 3-for-4 with two runs scored for the Tigers.

Brad Wright (Baldswinville, NY/C.W. Baker) picked up his second win of the season in relief, allowing just two hits in three scoreless innings of relief.

The same two teams meet in a doubleheader on Saturday at 1 p.m.