PRINCE ATHLETIC COMPLEX – St. John Fisher's bats came to life in the later innings and the Cardinals went on to defeat the University of Rochester, 8-4, on Towers Field Monday evening.
 
Held to one hit and a total of four baserunners through the first five innings, Fisher collected six hits – including two home runs – and scored seven times to take a 7-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh. The win evens Fisher's record at 6-6. Rochester is 10-3. The Yellowjackets will host The College at Brockport on Wednesday afternoon at 4 pm. The game was moved up a day from a scheduled Wednesday start.
 
Rochester first-year Colby Cruser as strong over the first five innings. He allowed two hits and walked three. In the Cardinal third, Jack Kelleher singled. Cruse fanned Patrick Kravitz. Noah Campanelli's grounder deflected off a diving Jackson Reed for UR and Kelleher raced to third. Cruser struck out Luke Duffy and James Murphy to escape the jam. In the fifth, he walked Nick Lemire and Kravitz around a groundout by Kelleher. He struck out Campanelli and retired Duffy on a fly to left.
 
The Yellowjackets threatened in the first, then scored in the third for a 1-0 lead. In the first, Aaron Whitley was hit by a pitch and Joseph Rende singled him to second. Both runners moved up when John Moses flied to right. Fisher started Michael Poirier retired Luke Piontek on a foulout and struck out Matt Cappelletti.
 
In the third, Rende tripled to centerfield with two down. Moses dropped a single into centerfield that brought home the run. Poirer left after four innings. He allowed three hits one earned run, and struck out one. Connor McHugh pitched the fourth. He allowed a two-out walk, then picked off the baserunner.
 
Ryan O'Mara came on for the fifth inning. He worked through the eighth, giving up three hits, hitting two batters, walking one and striking out three. He was the beneficiary of Fisher's offense in the later innings.

 
The Cardinals broke through against Cruser in the sixth. James Murphy walked. Brian Norsen popped to short and Cruser struck out Michael Beimel for his fifth K. Ben Lavery singled, sending Murphy to third. Lemire hit the first pitch he saw over the left centerfield fence for a 3-1 lead.
 
O'Mara got the first out of the sixth, but dug a small hole by walking Piontek on four pitches and then having Matt Cappelletti double down the left field line. It put the potential tying runs in scoring position. O'Mara struck out Harper Sy and Brian McKinsey to end the threat.
 
Duffy singled home two runs in the seventh with no outs. Two batters later, Brian Norsen homered to left center for a 7-1 edge.
 
Rochester staged a rally in the ninth against Logan Persse, the fourth Fisher pitcher. Sy homered to left. McKinsey hopped a single to the left side of the mound and just beat the throw to first. He advanced to second when no one covered the base. Jackson Reed singled him to third. He scored on a wild pitch and Reed took third (8-3). Josh Leadem fly out to left and Whitley flew out to center. Rende singled home Reed with his third hit. Pinch-hitter Jacob Matzat hit a hard liner to short that Lemire snagged just before it hit the ground. That ended the game.