NORFOLK, Va. (Mar. 7, 2008) – Junior Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte)surrendered just two hits and struck out nine to lead the Saint Francis softball team to a 3-0 victory over Morgan State on Friday morning in the first game of the Spartan Classic, which is being hosted by Norfolk State.

Caldwell picked up her first win of the season with her third career shutout. She worked out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning to preserve the shutout.

Senior Nicole Bender (Patton, Pa. / Cambria Heights), and juniors Kara Stroup (Valencia, Pa. / Mars) and Hilary McNelis (Tyrone, Pa. / Tyrone) each had two hits and played major roles in the victory.

Stroup scored the game's first run in the fourth inning on an RBI double by McNelis. Sophomore Kelly Cortese (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) singled to lead off the fifth inning, and Bender and Stroup belted back-to-back RBI doubles to make it a 3-0 game.

McNelis was 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and two doubles, and Bender and Stroup both went 2-for-3.

Caldwell ran into brief trouble in the seventh inning, but got a lineout to Cortese at second base to preserve the win.

It was the first shutout of the season for Saint Francis, which recorded just one team shutout in 2007.

The Red Flash were scheduled to play Cornell at 1 p.m., but rain has shortened the first day of the tournament. SFU is also scheduled to play Norfolk State (9 a.m.) and Delaware (1 p.m.) on Saturday before wrapping up play against Niagara at 9 a.m. on Sunday.

Saint Francis is 3-10 on the year.