PITTSFORD, N.Y. – For the second straight season, the nationally-ranked St. John Fisher College baseball team clinched the Empire 8 Regular Season Title after the No. 15 Cardinals won a rain-shortened six-inning affair at Dugan Yard against Utica College on Thursday, 3-0.  With the win, Fisher improved to 28-8 overall and 15-1 in the Empire 8 standings while the Pioneers slipped to 18-16 overall and 8-8 in conference play.

The Cardinals, who will close out their season with a doubleheader at Ithaca College on Saturday, have earned the right to host the upcoming Empire 8 Championship, which is scheduled to be played May 11-14 at Dugan Yard.  This season marks the first time in conference history that the Empire 8 has an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship.

With the forecast projecting heavy rains, Fisher wasted no time getting things started as the home team plated a run in the bottom of the first inning.  After recording a quick out to start the game, Utica walked the bases loaded before Ryan Prevost battled at the plate and eventually drew a bases-loaded RBI-walk to give Fisher a one-run lead.

After escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second without surrendering a run, Fisher struck again in the home half of the third with two more runs on three hits to take a 3-0 lead. 
Scott Eisenmenger led off with a double down the right field line and moved to first on a fly out to right by Allen Murphy.  Prevost stepped to the dish and replaced Eisenmenger at third after mashing a triple to left center to make it 2-0.  Prevost wasn't at third for long, however, as Malcolm Kelsey, who was named to the D3baseball.com Team of the Week on Tuesday, ripped an RBI-single to right to make it a 3-0 game in Fisher's favor.

Up by three runs, Fisher's pitching took care of the rest as Dominick Pisciotto and Kyle Chambers allowed just three hits between them over the final three innings of play.

Pisciotto started on the hill and moved to 6-0 with the win after allowing just six hits over five innings.  The senior struck out six in the win before being lifted for Chambers in the sixth.  Chambers threw one scoreless inning and notched his team-leading fourth save of the season.