Schenectady, NY - The No. 2-seeded Brockport Golden Eagles fell to the No. 3-seeded St. John Fisher Cardinals, 3-0, on the opening day of the Empire 8 Baseball Championships on Thursday afternoon. Despite a complete-game effort from Tyler Pohlman, an early Cardinals home run and timely defense helped St. John Fisher secure a key victory in the double-elimination tournament.

Pohlman (5-4) delivered a strong outing in defeat, tossing a complete game while allowing just four hits and two earned runs over nine innings. The junior also recorded eight strikeouts. After surrendering a home run in the third inning, Pohlman held the Cardinals scoreless for the remainder of the contest to cap off his excellent effort.

Kyle Blake paced the Golden Eagles offensively with a two-for-three performance at the plate, recording two of Brockport's five hits. James Dixon reached base twice, finishing one-for-three with a hit and a hit-by-pitch.

St. John Fisher took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI groundout and a Brockport defensive miscue. Pohlman minimized further damage by stranding multiple Cardinals baserunners. Ryan Vandervip accounted for the Cardinals' final run with a solo home run in the third inning to extend the advantage to 3-0.

The Golden Eagles generated opportunities in the middle innings behind hits from Matthew Coon and Cole Grazioplene but were unable to break through until the bottom of the ninth. Brockport brought the tying run to the plate after a James Dixon single and a two-out walk by Blake Fortunato, but St. John Fisher recorded the final out to complete the shutout victory.

Up Next: Brockport will face the No. 4-seeded Utica Pioneers in an elimination game on Friday, May 8, at 11 a.m. With a win, the Golden Eagles would advance to face the loser of the matchup between No. 1-seeded Russell Sage Gators and No. 3-seeded St. John Fisher at 6 PM for a spot in the Empire 8 Championship.