Lynn, Mass. – The Fisher College Falcons battled hard to improve their record to 7-26 when they split with the College of St. Joseph in Vermont in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon. Fisher dropped the first game 10-5 and battled until the ninth inning to take a 5-4 victory.
Mikayla Zimmerman (Corona, Calif.) went 4-6 on the afternoon while Jayla Vega (Hoboken, N.J.), Cassy Pillard (Jefferson, N.H.), and Ashayla Burrell (Worcester, Mass.) all went 2-5.
Game 1
A costly error by the Fisher first baseman and back-to-back doubles gave CSJ a quick 3-0 lead. Fisher shut down the Fighting Saints after the third run crossed the plate. The Falcons got one run back in the bottom half of the inning when Morgan Selmi (Rohnert Park, Calif.) reached on a fielder's choice and moved over to third on two pass balls. Zimmerman singled up the middle and Selmi crossed the plate to make it 3-1, CSJ.
The Fighting Saints added four more runs in the top of the second to take a 7-1 lead over the Falcons. Fisher added two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the CSJ lead to 8-3. CSJ took at 10-3 lead in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run homerun by Reinhart.
Fisher then added one run in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut the lead to 10-5. They held the Fighting Saints in the top of the sixth inning, but were unable to produce any more runs in the bottom of the seventh to finalize the score at 10-5, CSJ victory.
Vega took the loss on the mound for the Falcons allowing 10 runs on 12 hits while striking out two. Zimmerman continued her outstanding hitting going 2-3 with Burrell going 1-2.
Game 2
The second game proved to be a great game for the Falcons who were victorious in nine innings. CSJ took a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning, but Fisher quickly shut down the bats. Fisher was shut down 1-2-3 in the first inning and again in the second. The Fighting Saints added a run in the top of the third inning to take a 2-0 lead over the Falcons.
Fisher managed to cut the lead to 2-1 in the top of the sixth inning when Vega hit a lead-off double and scored on two consecutive ground outs. They were able to retire CSJ in the top of the seventh to bring the Falcons back to the plate for their do-or-die moment. Chrissy Briggs (Rumford, Maine) started off the inning reaching first on an error by the first baseman. Pillard then got a bunt single and moved Briggs to third. Tori Park (Lynn, Mass.) then grounded to short, but Briggs was thrown out at home. Pillard scored on a groundout to second base a play later to tie the game at 2.
CSJ plated two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-2 lead on a single that plated the runner who started on second. The next Fighting Saint hit a double to plate the second run of the inning before Zimmerman fanned the last batter. Selmi started on second for the Falcons in the bottom of the ninth and scored on a Zimmerman double. Briggs hit a ground ball through the second baseman's legs to score Zimmerman to again tie the game at four. Park hit a single through the right side plating Briggs and giving the Falcons a 5-4 victory.
Zimmerman earned the win in the circle for the Falcons allowing four runs on nine hits and striking out seven. Vega led the offense for the Falcons going 2-4 with a single and a double while Zimmerman, Pillard, Park, and Burrell all went 1-3.
The Falcons return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 26, when they travel to Thomas College for a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader.