PITTSFORD, N.Y. – Top-seeded St. John Fisher posted a pair of come-from-behind one-run victories over Rochester in the NCAA Division III softball playoffs at Fisher's softball complex on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals rallied for a 2-1 victory in 10 innings in game one and posted a 3-2 victory in eight innings in the nitecap. Both games were walk-off decisions.
 
Rochester finished its season at 27-23 overall. The Yellowjackets won 23 games and lost 13 after coming north from Florida in mid-March. UR earned its NCAA playoff bid by winning the Liberty League championship at Southside Field on the first weekend of May.
 
St. John Fisher improved to 36-10. The Cardinals advance to the Super Regional Round against the survivor of a four-team regional at The College of New Jersey. Host TCNJ is playing Manhattanville College in the final round in southern New Jersey.
 

Rochester placed three individuals on the 10-person All-Tournament Team (nine all-tourney players plus a Most Outstanding Player). The three Yellowjackets honored were freshman catcher Harleigh Kaczegowicz, junior pitcher/infielder Eleni Wechsler, and senior shortstop Kayla Kibling. The MOP award went to Fisher sophomore pitcher Lindsay Thayer. She won both games against Rochester, going the distance in each. In the opener, she allowed two hits – both to Kaczegowicz – walked five, and struck out 12 in 10 innings. In game two, she allowed three hits, walked two, and fanned 15.
 
Wechsler pitched a strong game in the opener. In 9.1 innings, she allowed seven hits, walked three, and fanned two. She made the Cardinals hit the ball and the defense was strong behind her. She set down 12 in a row at one point and Fisher didn't get two aboard at the same time until the 10th.
 
Rochester took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Thayer had trouble locating her pitches. She walked Kibling, then fanned Kaczegowicz. A wild pitch moved Kibling to second. Back to back walks to Wechsler and Lauren Muni loaded the bases. Jocelynn Blackshear hit a bouncer to the right side for a groundout as Kibling crossed with the Yellowjacket run.
 
The defense came up big in the Fisher third. Kristina Balsano reached on a pop fly double down the left field line. She was bunted to third by Julia Sortisio. The Yellowjackets met on the mound, planning for another bunt and it happened. Katie Mazierski bunted in front of the plate with Caitlyn Price charging from third, Wechsler in from the mound, and Rachael Pletz converging from first. Wechsler scooped the ball with her glove and flipped it to Kaczegowicz who tagged out Balsano. Mazierski tried to take advantage of the ball at the plate. She raced for second, but Kaczegowicz threw a bullet to Kibling who applied the tag for an unofficial – and somewhat unusual – inning-ending double play.
 
Fisher did get the tying run in the fourth on Jennifer Knaak's home run over the right field fence.  Wechsler stranded three runners at second base over the next three innings, and that led to the streak of 12 set down consecutively.
 
Rochester couldn't get much going against Thayer. Kaczegowicz got the first Yellowjacket hit, a sharp single to center leading off the sixth. Before that, the hardest hit ball was a line drive to the warning track in center by Kibling in the third. Sortisio made a nice catch with her back to the plate.
 

Wechsler bunted Kaczegowicz to second and Raegan Herne entered to run for her. She moved to third on Muni's groundout to first, but Thayer avoided trouble by getting Blackshear on a grounder to short. In the eighth, Kaczegowicz dropped another single into center field with one down. Wechsler struck out. Thayer uncorked a wild pitch that the Cardinals couldn't locate as Kaczegowicz raced to third. Thayer fanned Muni to escape.
 
In the Fisher 10th, Danielle Ventrone doubled to left. Balsano walked. Sortisio bunted the runners over and Rochester pulled the infield in. Mazierski chipped the first pitch she saw just over the drawn-in players to allow Ventrone to score.
 
The victory put Rochester into a must-win situation in game four which followed about 1:40 later after a 40-minute delay for a steady downpour. Rochester's game two starter was Liz Bourne. In 5.2 innings, she allowed six hits, two runs, and struck out one. Sam Malecki relieved in the sixth. Over two innings, she allowed two hits, one run, fanned one, and walked one (intentionally).
 
Bourne stranded Fisher runners in three of the first four innings and she was given a 2-0 lead in the third. With two down, Kibling walked. Shelby Corning singled to center, and Kaczegowicz powered a double to right center. Both runners scored, with Corning sliding head first just ahead of the tag. Kaczegowicz tried to get to third but Fisher's Karlie Neale threw to Balsano for the tag that ended the inning. Thayer set down six in a row after that.
 
The Cardinals got one back in the fifth. Lauren Owens pulled a home run just inside the pole down the left field line, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Rochester just missed an opportunity to get that run back in the top of the sixth. Kibling walked. After Corning and Kaczegowicz popped out, Wechsler's pop fly to the right side was dropped for an error and Kibling raced to third. She was stranded when Thayer fanned Blackshear.
 
Bourne got the first two outs of the sixth before Knaak singled to left. Neale singled to center. Sarah Kubik grounded a single up the middle. Laurelle Byrne-Cody charged it and threw home on the run, but the swipe tag missed and the score was tied. Malecki relieved and retired Owens on a flyout to right.
 
She set down four in a row, then got a huge strikeout in the eighth. Mazierski singled to open the Fisher eighth. She was bunted to second. The Yellowjackets walked Knaak intentionally to set up a force. Malecki caught Neale looking at strike three for the second out but Kubik, who drove in the tying run, then knocked home the winner with a single down the left field line.