DAVENPORT, Fla. – The University of Dubuque baseball team fell in a hard-fought game against St. John Fisher University on Friday evening. The game concluded the Spartans' stay at the RussMatt Invitational.

Spartans starting pitcher Shae Buskohl worked around a first-inning double and held the Cardinals scoreless in the first. A couple of hits in the second inning allowed the Cardinals to strike first, building a 2-0 lead. Alex Esser plated two in the third inning on a two-strike double, tying the contest at two runs apiece. The Spartans stranded three Cardinals runners in the next inning. Ashr Harris, Esser, and Will Sullivan all rallied for two-out singles in the fifth, giving the Spartans a 3-2 lead. The Cardinals took a 4-3 lead in the seventh inning on a wall-scraping home run that was just out of the reach of the right fielder, giving them a lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Cardinals added a couple of runs in the ninth and stifled a late Spartans rally as the Spartans fell 6-3.

Buskohl started on the hill for the Spartans, firing 3.1 innings while allowing five hits, four walks, and two runs. Angel Reyes came into relief, pitching the final 5.2 frames. Reyes allowed three earned runs and five hits while striking out four. Esser and Sullivan both picked up multiple hits during Friday's game. Esser picked up two RBI while Harris scored twice with a hit and a walk. The Spartans were clean in the field, not committing an error.

Up Next

The Spartans' week of baseball in Florida came to a close on Friday. The Spartans will travel home on Saturday and return to action at the Millikin University invite next week. The Spartans will take on Marian University, Saint Mary's University (MN), and Millikin University from March 14-15.