UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (Mar. 26, 2008) – The Saint Francis softball team came within five outs of it's first-ever victory over Penn State on Wednesday night, but senior All-American Ashley Esparza hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to give the Nittany Lions a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Nittany Lion Field.

Penn State then scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 2 to put the mercy rule in effect in a 9-1 victory over the Red Flash to take the twinbill.

Saint Francis was led on offense by junior Kara Stroup (Valencia, Pa. / Mars), who hit two home runs. Sophomore Stephanie Griffin (Dupont, Pa. / Pittston Area) also smacked two hits on the day.

The Red Flash will try to rebound when they open Northeast Conference play with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday at in-state rival Robert Morris.

Penn State 5, Saint Francis 4

The Red Flash suffered a crushing defeat in Game 1 of the twinbill after Big Ten Player-of-the-Week Esparza hit a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning to turn a 4-1 Red Flash lead into a 5-4 deficit. SFU was looking for it's first-ever win over the Nittany Lions in 24 previous meetings since 1990.

Saint Francis put together the first real threat of the doubleheader in the second inning of the game. Junior Nicole Waligora (Johnstown, Pa. / Westmont Hilltop) reached on an error by PSU's shortstop, and then moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by junior Hilary McNelis (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone). Griffin then slapped an infield single to put runners on the corners with just one out. However, Griffin was caught stealing and senior Richele Hall (Beaver Falls, Pa. / Riverside) grounded out to the third baseman to end the threat.

While junior Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte) held the Nittany Lions hitless through their first three innings, the Red Flash got on the board first with Stroup's third home run of the season, a towering shot to left-center field. The reigning Northeast Conference Player-of-the-Week hit her third homer in her last six games. Her blast seemed to ignite the Saint Francis offense as Waligora followed by reaching base when she was plunked with a pitch. Again, McNelis moved her to second base on a sacrifice bunt and Waligora came around to score on Hall's two-out single to centerfield to make it 2-0 Saint Francis.

However, Caldwell ran into control problems in the bottom half of the fourth inning. She walked the bases loaded and then forced in a run with her fourth walk to Kayce Zielinski to make it 2-1. But Caldwell struck out the next two batters to prevent any further damage.

A terrific drag bunt by junior Kelly Slingwine (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) gave the Red Flash a 3-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore Kelly Cortese (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) singled up the middle and senior Nicole Bender (Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights) singled to right-center field to start the inning. Slingwine then placed a perfect bunt between first base and second base that allowed Cortese to score and Bender to move to third base. Slingwine then stole second base and Waligora slapped an RBI single into left field to make it 4-1 SFU. Penn State starter Jackie Hill was able to escape further damage by getting a popout and flyout to end the inning.

Caldwell again ran into trouble in the fifth inning when she surrendered a leadoff single to Esparza for the Nittany Lions' first hit of the day. The Red Flash then threw to the wrong base on a sacrifice bunt attempt to put runners on first and second with nobody out. A ground out to first base enabled the runners to move up a base, and Caldwell got a strikeout and a flyout to end the threat. The flyout was a great running, shoe-string catch by junior Janelle McCoy (New Paris, Pa. / Chestnut Ridge) in right field.

After going quietly in the top of the sixth inning, Saint Francis ran into trouble again in the bottom half of the inning. Caldwell struck out her eighth batter of the game to start the inning, but Zielinski blooped a single into centerfield, pinch hitter Kimi Wong walked and Rebecca Bautista singled to load the bases. Nittany Lion leadoff hitter Esparza then hit a grand slam to put her team up 5-4. Caldwell walked the next batter, but then got a line drive double play to get out of the inning.

Seven different players had hits for Saint Francis, and all four runs were driven in by different players. The four runs scored are the most for a Red Flash team against Penn State in the series' 18 year history.

Caldwell finished with eight strikeouts and eight walks while allowing just four hits in the contest.

Penn State 9, Saint Francis 1 (6 innings)

The Nittany Lions got on the scoreboard in the third inning after a three-base throwing error with two outs. Ashley Griffith bunted with two outs for Penn State and wound up standing on third base after the throw went into right field. Danielle Kinley stroked the next pitch up the middle to plate Griffith and give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.

Penn State's Jackie Hill stroked a double just over the head of Waligora at third base to open the bottom of the fourth inning. She moved to third base on a single by Sam Hovanec. Hovanec then stole second base, allowing Hill to score, and then moved to third base on a throwing error. Kayce Zielinski then singled to centerfield to make it 3-0 Nittany Lions. Smith was able to get two groundball outs to escape any further damage for the Red Flash.

Kinley led off the fifth inning for the Nittany Lions with a double to the left-center, and Giordano worked a walk to put runners on first and second base with nobody out. After a sacrifice bunt moved the runners up a base, both came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 5-0 Penn State.

Stroup hit her second home run of the day, and fourth of the season, to get the Red Flash on the board in the sixth inning. It was a solo rocket to left field to open the inning. The homer put her in sole possession of fourth place on Saint Francis' all-time list with 15.

The Nittany Lions put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game on the eight-run rule with a 9-1 final. Back-to-back singles, a passed ball, and a two-run single by Desi Giordano did the early damage. Sam Hovanec and Kayce Zielinski had back-to-back RBI singles to end it.