Over the course of a week in Florida, there will be clean, well-played games like Monday against Wartburg ... and then there will be days like today.

John Carroll scored nine runs but could not overcome key mistakes and a very strong St. John Fisher offense in dropping a 15-9 decision.

Duncan Cappar got the start against the power hitting Cardinals, who had 49 home runs last year as a team.  Cappar was able to keep the ball inside the ball park, but he surrendered eight runs and 12 hits in his first start of 2019.

Patrick Keohane got the scoring started in the bottom of the first when he doubled and came around on a Dom Mittiga RBI single. Joe Charpentier drove in Mittiga to make the score 2-0.  

St John Fisher College answered in the next half inning with two runs of their own to make the score 2-2.

Cappar did a good job to miss the barrels of the red-hot Cardinal offense coming off a 17-run output in their last game, but the balls were able to find holes in the Blue Streak defense.  There were only three or four hard hit balls off of Cappar in his body of work, but the softly hit balls with runners on cost the sophomore.

St. John Fisher was able to hang crooked numbers in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th while John Carroll was only able to score four runs. The big inning was a four-run fourth when the Cardinals began the frame with six straight hits.

John Carroll started to chip away, down 11-6 heading into the bottom of the sixth.  The Blue Streaks scored a pair of runs in the sixth and one in the eighth to make the score 11-9 heading into the ninth. 

But just when the Blue Streaks were threatening to put pressure on the Cardinals, St. John Fisher put four runs on the board in the top of the ninth, three of which were unearned. Pitcher Nick Michel would have been out of the inning without allowing any runs, but a dropped line drive opened up the floodgates for the Cardinals.  Allowing them to stretch their lead, and ultimately the final to 15-9.

"We have an off day tomorrow to give our guys some rest," said assistant coach Ryan Nordquist. "We'll turn the corner and get ready for the second half of the week."

Keohane went 2-2 in the game with two walks and a hit by pitch and scored three runs.  Mittiga went 2-3 with two RBI while scoring three runs as well. Charpentier also had a good day at the plate by going 2-5 and driving in three runs.

John Carroll moves to 5-2 on the year and St. John Fisher goes to 4-2 for the season.  The Blue Streaks have an off day tomorrow and will resume play on Thursday at 2:30 PM against Bridgewater College.