DOVER, Del. (Mar. 15, 2008) – The Saint Francis softball team bounced back from a pair of tough one-run losses on Saturday and salvaged the afternoon with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Marist at the Capital Classic Tournament, which is being hosted by Delaware State University.
Sophomore Jerrica Smith (Breezewood, Pa. / Everett) picked up her third win of the season by giving up just one run on four hits while striking out six and walking three against the Red Foxes. Junior Hilary McNelis (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) drove in the game-winning run with a double off the top of the right-center field fence in the top of the sixth inning.
Earlier in the day, Saint Francis dropped two heartbreakers, a 1-0 walk-off loss against Delaware followed by a 4-3 defeat versus Drexel.
Delaware 1, Saint Francis 0
The Red Flash suffered a tough loss in the first game of the day when Delaware's Allison Borchers hit a walk-off home run to left field in the seventh inning to hand the Blue Hens a 1-0 victory.
Junior Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte) suffered the tough-luck loss, holding a high-powered Delaware offense without any runs for 6 1/3 innings. She struck out four, walked none and scattered four hits.
Caldwell ran into a bit of trouble early. She allowed a leadoff double in the bottom of the first inning and had a runner on third with one out after a sacrifice bunt, but she got a strikeout and a groundout to work out of the jam.
SFU put together its only threat of the game in the top of the second when junior Nicole Waligora (Johnstown, Pa. / Westmont Hilltop) led off with a single through the left side. McNelis placed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move her to second base and she then moved to third on an infield single by sophomore Stephanie Griffin (Dupont, Pa. / Pittston Area). But the Blue Hens got out of the jam when Griffin was called out for leaving first base early on a stolen base attempt, followed by a strikeout.
After retiring nine straight batters, Caldwell ran into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth inning. Katie DeSalvo reached on a one-out error and went to third base on a single by Lindsay Novak, who went to second base on the throw to third. But Caldwell buckled down and got a strikeout and a lineout to end the threat.
Waligora led off the top of the seventh inning with her third single of the game, but got no further than second base as Delaware's Samantha Shawn was able to work out of the jam to preserve her shutout.
Waligora was 3-for-3 in the game, while Griffin and junior Janelle McCoy (New Paris, Pa. / Chestnut Ridge) each had singles.
Drexel 4, Saint Francis 3
Caldwell started the second game of the day against the Dragons, and walked the bases loaded in the first inning, but also struck out the side to escape the jam.
Her teammates were able to give her some runs to work with for the first time on the day. Waligora continued her hot hitting in the second game to get the Red Flash on the board with a two-run double in the bottom of the first. Senior Nicole Bender (Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights) led off the inning with a line drive single up the middle. Junior Kelly Slingwine (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) came to the plate for a sacrifice bunt and reached safely when Bender beat out the pickoff attempt at second base. A groundout moved Bender and Slingwine to third base and second base, respectively, and Waligora belted her double past a drawn-in infield.
But Caldwell ran into trouble again in the second inning after walking the leadoff batter for the second time on the day. Amanda Shattuck, received the base on balls, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and then moved to third on a bunt single by Lisa Williams. Williams stole second and both runners came around to score when Christina Rodriguez's grounder to third skidded into left field for a two-run scoring error.
A one-out single by Slingwine got Saint Francis started in the third inning, and three straight walks plated her to give the Red Flash a 3-2 lead. Junior Kara Stroup (Valencia, Pa. / Mars), Waligora and McNelis all drew bases on balls to bring Slingwine around. McNelis faced two pitchers during her at-bat. Drexel starting pitcher Shattuck twisted her ankle running to cover home plate on a ball that got past catcher Molly Dacey. She was replaced by Ellen Boundy, who threw ball four after entering with a 3-2 count.
A two-out walk to Amanda Hastings cost Caldwell in the top of the fifth inning when Sandi Wambold laced a double over the head of Bender in centerfield. Griffin's relay throw from Bender came in just behind the tying run as Wambold took third on the throw. Caldwell got her seventh strikeout of the contest to preserve the 3-3 tie into the bottom of the fifth.
Another walk and an error cost Saint Francis in the sixth inning against the Dragons. Kristen Beaver fouled off several pitches on her way to working a free base to lead off the inning, and she then stole second base. Williams layed down a sacrifice bunt and reached safely when the throw was dropped at first base. Beaver scored all the way from second base on the play to give Drexel a 4-3 lead and the win.
Waligora went 2-for-2 in the game with a walk and two RBIs, while Bender, Griffin and Slingwine added singles.
Saint Francis 2, Marist 1
Bender got the Red Flash offense kick-started in the third game of the day against Marist, which is coached by former Saint Francis head coach Erin Layton. Bender led off the game by drilling a double to the right-center field fence. After a groundout, Stroup brought her in for the game's first run with a single between the shortstop and third baseman.
Smith walked the first batter she faced and then had runners on first and second with nobody out after the next batter beat out her throw on a sacrifice bunt attempt. But Smith settled down and was able to get a force out and back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat as SFU held a 1-0 lead after the first inning of play.
The Red Flash nearly tacked on another run in the second inning after junior Richele Hall (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) drew a two-out walk. Sophomore Kelly Cortese (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) then belted a triple to the right field corner, but Hall was thrown out on a perfect relay throw to the plate to end the inning.
Marist got on the board in the fifth inning after Smith had allowed just one hit through four innings. McCallion Campbell led off the frame with a single up the middle and moved to second base on a sacrifice. Melissa Giordano slapped a double that hit the chalk line down the left field line to plate Campbell and tie the game at 1-1.
The Red Flash didn't waste much time in regaining the lead as Stroup drew a one-out walk to start things in the top of the sixth inning. McNelis just missed her first career home run when she laced a line drive off the top of the right-center field fence for a double to plate Stroup and give SFU a 2-1 lead and a win to snap a four-game skid.
Saint Francis is scheduled to play Central Connecticut State at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday before teams will be re-seeded for games later in the afternoon.
