Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly softball team dropped both ends of a home doubleheader against St. John Fisher on Friday afternoon, falling 9–3 in game one before a 10–5 defeat in game two. With the losses, the Wildcats sit at 11-19 on the season.
GAME ONE:
St. John Fisher wasted little time getting on the board in the opener, using an RBI double from Taylor Shack in the first inning to take an early 1–0 lead.
SUNY Poly answered in the second, capitalizing on a Fisher error as Jenna Glenn delivered an RBI single to even the score at 1–1.
After several quiet innings, the Wildcats broke through in the fourth. Joely Welpe and Alivia Turk strung together singles before Ava Faragon ripped an RBI double to right center, giving SUNY Poly a 2–1 advantage.
Fisher responded in the fifth, tying the game at 2–2 behind an RBI double from Sarah Gross.
The game turned decisively in the sixth inning, when Fisher erupted for seven runs on nine hits. The rally featured a solo home run and a series of run-scoring hits, including a two-RBI single from Taylor Shack, as Fisher surged ahead 9–2.
SUNY Poly managed to plate one run in the bottom half of the inning, taking advantage of a Fisher error, but could not mount a full comeback. The Wildcats were retired in order in the seventh as Fisher secured the 9–3 victory.
GAME TWO:
Game two began as a pitchers' duel, with both teams held scoreless through the first inning.
Fisher broke through in the second, using the long ball to seize control. CC Holmes launched a two-run homer, followed by a solo shot from Maddy Schuba, giving the Cardinals a 3–0 lead.
Fisher added two more runs in the fourth inning on a pair of RBI doubles, extending the lead to 5–0.
The Wildcats responded with their best offensive inning of the day in the bottom of the fourth. Jenna Glenn drove in two runs with a single, and Katelyn Adams followed with a two-RBI double to cap a four-run frame that cut the deficit to 5–4.
Fisher answered immediately in the fifth with an RBI single to make it 6–4, and then added insurance in the sixth on a two-run home run by Taylor Shack, pushing the lead to 8–4.
In the seventh, Fisher tacked on two more runs with a two-RBI double to extend the margin to 10–4.
SUNY Poly showed late fight in the bottom half, as Joely Welpe delivered an RBI single to score a run, but the comeback fell short as Fisher completed the sweep with a 10–5 win.
