BALTIMORE, Md. – Head coach Brandon Potter earned his 300th career win on Saturday as the St. John Fisher College baseball team opened its 2020 season with a sweep of the nationally-ranked Johns Hopkins University Bluejays at Babb Field.  Fisher improved to 2-0 on the season behind the sweep while Hopkins, which is ranked 14th in the latest D3baseball.com national poll, will continue its season at 0-2. 

With the pair of wins, Potter, who is the program's all-time leader in coaching wins, now owns a 301-134 overall record since taking over the program 11 seasons ago.  In that span, the Cardinals have gone to four NCAA Division III Baseball Championships and reached the World Series in 2016.

FISHER 6, HOPKINS 2

After a scoreless first inning of play, the Cardinals struck first in the top of the second as Ryan Simmons singled home Justin Graham who had led off the frame with a double to left center.

After leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the inning, the Bluejays would take the field in the top of the third and found themselves in a two-run hole after a leadoff triple by Stephen Edgett came around to score when Antony Mantova belted an RBI-single to left to make it 2-0.

Hopkins would get one back in the home half of the third, but the Cardinals plated two more runs in the top of the fifth with Mantova picking up another RBI before scoring on a wild pitch to make it 4-1.

After giving one back in the bottom of the fifth, Fisher struck again in the top of the ninth with two more runs on two hits to make it a four-run affair.  Freshman Noah Campanelli got the ball rolling with a leadoff walk before moving to second when Simmons singled up the middle.  With two on and nobody out, Michael Beimel dropped a sacrifice bunt to move the runners up a bag before Edgett doubled in two runs with a shot to center.

Fisher used three arms in the win with Matthew Raudelunas taking the ball to start.  The lefty went 2.0 scoreless innings and struck out a pair before being lifted for freshman Hunter Walsh who let in one run on two hits over two innings of work.  Senior Anthony Brophy (1-0) was credited with the win after going 5.0 innings and scattering just three hits in all.  Brophy allowed one run and fanned six.

FISHER 13, HOPKINS 7

In the nightcap, the hot hitting carried over for Fisher as the Cardinals plated three runs in the top of the first on just two hits.  Mantova was awarded first after being plunked to get things started before Allen Murphy launched a two-run shot over the right-center field fence to make it 2-0.  From there, Thomas Pasquale drew a walk and moved to third when Justin Graham singled through the left side of the infield.  With two on, Simmons was credited with an RBI on a fielder's choice before Hopkins could retire the side.

In the home half of the inning, the Bluejays tagged starter RJ Kuruts with two runs, but the junior settled in and kept the lead intact.

The game remained 3-2 in Fisher's favor until the bottom of the sixth when Hopkins plated three runs on three hits to take the lead, 5-3.

The advantage was short-lived, however, as Fisher answered in the top of the seventh with two runs of its own with Pasquale doubling in a run before Brian Norsen collected his first-career RBI with a single through the left side to make it 5-5.

After a scoreless top of the seventh, Hopkins pushed one run across in the bottom of the frame with an RBI walk, but the Cardinals wiggled out of the jam as Kenneth Westbrook got the next hitter to line out to second to keep it a one-run game.

In the eighth, Fisher's bat came to life with five runs on five hits including a two-run double by Murphy and back-to-back jacks from Graham and Norsen to make it 10-6 leading into the ninth.

Already ahead by four, Fisher tacked on three more runs on four more hits with Graham and Norsen each collecting another RBI.

Kuruts got the call to start, but did not factor in the decision despite throwing 5.0 innings and allowing just two runs with six Ks.  Alec Teska pitched two-thirds of an inning and yielded three runs while Westbrook (1-0) earned the win in relief with 1.1 innings.  Brandon Roberts came on to pitch the final two frames and recorded three strikeouts.

In all, Fisher banged out 17 hits led by Norsen who went 4-for-6 with three RBI.  Murphy was 3-for-4 with four runs driven in and four runs scored while Graham collected three hits of his own on the day.  Luke Duffy had a solid day at the plate after going 2-for-4 with a walk.
 
The Cardinals, who are receiving votes in the latest national polls will make their way to Florida next weekend as they begin a nine-game set as part of the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational.  Fisher will get things started at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday when it battles Cabrini.