PITTSFORD, NY – The RIT baseball team (9-7) couldn't overcome a costly six-run eighth inning, falling to St. John Fisher (14-6) 11-5 at Dugan Yard on a cool, breezy, Thursday afternoon.

It was a wild, back-and-forth affair between the two sides, as the Tigers and Cardinals both held multi-run leads during the game. With the contest tied at five in the bottom of the eighth with two outs, the Cardinals used four hits and two walks to drive in six runs, taking the lead for good.

Will Gorman (Nassau, NY/Columbia), Brian Battaglia (Sliver Spring, MD/James Hubert Blake), and Daniel Zeglen (Scotia, NY/Scotia-Glenville) led the balanced RIT attack, each driving in a run. Jason Schulz (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool) led RIT with three hits, while Zach Zabel (Clarence, NY/Clarence) and Battaglia each had two of the Tigers 12 hits in the contest. Seven RIT pitchers took to the mound in the first game for the Tigers in almost a week due to inclement weather. Brandon Cohall (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) got the start, pitching in the first inning, giving up just one hit, before giving way to Brett DeLola (Baldwinsville, NY/C.W. Baker), Mark Nozzi (Rochester, NY/McQuaid Jesuit), Brian Sheridan (Trumansburg, NY/Trumansburg), Tom Dilon, Kyle Povlock (Fairport, NY/Fairport), and Brett Bouchard (Fairport, NY/Fairport).

The Cardinals were led by Scott Eisenmenger, who went 2-for-5, hitting a three-run homer in the eighth inning. Jim Dawson picked up the win in relief, pitching a scoreless eighth inning.

The Tigers threatened to score first in the second inning. With two outs, Dom Scialabba (North Brunswick, NJ/North Brunswick) was hit by a pitch to start the rally, forced the pitcher to balk, advancing to second, then advanced to third on a Schulz single. Zeglen walked to load the bases after a Schulz stolen base before a strikeout ended the rally. The Cardinals grabbed the lead in the next frame, getting two runs in the bottom of the frame, getting on the board first.

The Tigers answered, getting on the board to tie the game in the top of the third inning. Hogan hit a one out triple into center field to get the rally started. Gorman drove Hogan home, doubling down the right field line in the next at-bat, getting the Tigers on the board. Battaglia laced a two-out single into center field, scoring Gorman and tying the contest.

RIT eventually took the lead in the top of the sixth inning. Pinch hitting for Scialabba, Patrick Mylott (Aurora, OH/Western Reserve Academy) singled to left-center, and advanced to third on a Schulz single. Mylott then scored on a wild pitch, giving the Tigers their first lead of the contest. The Tigers were not done, as a Zeglen groundout scored Schulz in the next at-bat, then Benjamin Terzini (Liverpool, NY/Liverpool), after getting on-base with a two out double, scored on the second St. John Fisher wild pitch, giving RIT a 5-2 lead.

The Cardinals tallied two runs in the bottom of the frame, and added one in the seventh, to tie the game, before the six-run eighth.

The Tigers will return to Liberty League play, taking on Union in a four-game road series, beginning on Saturday at 1 p.m.