BALTIMORE, Md. – UMBC rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to hand the Saint Francis softball team a tough 4-3 loss in the opening game of the UMBC Spring Classic, on Friday afternoon.
Junior Jamie Dixon (Revloc, PA /Central Cambria ) (Revloc, Pa. / Central Cambria) drove in two runs with a double to give the Red Flash a 3-1 lead in the top of the sixth inning, but the Retrievers answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning and held SFU scoreless in the seventh to steal the win.
Saint Francis couldn't get the offense going in the second game of the day as Niagara won an 8-0 contest in five innings in the second meeting of the season between the teams.
After falling behind 1-0 in the fourth inning against UMBC, junior Kelly Cortese (Coatesville, PA/Bishop Shanahan) (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan) jump started a two-out rally with a single. Senior Kelly Slingwine (Gibsonia, PA /Pine Richland) (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) drove her in with an RBI double, and sophomore Raquel Rugani (Montour, PA/Montour) (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) drew a walk to put runners on first and second with two outs. Dixon came up with the big blow with a two-run double to centerfield to give SFU a 3-1 lead.
However, the Retrievers won it with a three-run rally of their own in the bottom of the inning.
Senior Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, PA /Bellefonte) (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte) suffered the tough-luck loss, but became the first 500-strikeout pitcher in school history with six Ks in the game. Saint Francis' all-time strikeout leader allowed four runs on eight hits, and didn't walk a batter.
Cortese went 2-for-3 in the game, and the Red Flash had three doubles out of their seven base hits.
Niagara scored three runs in the first and third inning, and ended the game with one run in the fourth and fifth inning.
The Red Flash offense was held in check with just two hits on the day off Niagara starter Michelle Krier. Freshman Katie McMellen (Kingsville, Ohio / Edgewood) and Slingwine had the two hits.
