The top-seeded softball team (29—11 overall, 12—0 Empire 8) advanced to Sunday’s Empire 8 Conference Championship final with a big 5-1 win against second seed St. John Fisher College (31—11 overall, 8—4 Empire 8) this afternoon on Kostrinsky Field. Because of the double elimination nature of the tournament, the Bombers need only one win in two possible games on Sunday to be named Empire 8 champions.

To find victory against the Cardinals, the Blue and Gold relied on solid pitching from sophomore pitchers Sam Bender and Jillian Olmstead and a five-run second inning.

All of the game’s offense came in the second. The visiting Cardinals started off the inning with one run on an RBI double and handed the South Hill squad a 1-0 deficit heading into the bottom frame. The Bombers responded with an onslaught of offense. They sent 11 batters to the plate in that inning and seven batters tallied singles, accounting for all the Blue and Gold’s hits for the game.

The Bombers on small ball and contributions from seven different batters to get on base and five to bring home runs. It was truly a team effortthat brought the South Hill squad the victory on Saturday. The Blue and Gold await the winner of the elimination game between Fisher and Alfred University (26—13 overall, 7—5 Empire 8) that will decide their opponent for the championship game at 11 a.m. Sunday on Kostrinsky Field