UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team rallied for four unanswered runs in the final two innings to earn it's first-ever victory over intrastate rival Penn State in a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday night.
Trailing 2-0 going into the top of the sixth inning of Game 1, the Red Flash took advantage of two Nittany Lion errors to tie the game, and then scored two more in the top of the seventh inning for a 4-2 victory. It was SFU's first win in 28 games against PSU. Penn State kept the Saint Francis offense at bay by winning Game 2, 2-0.
Senior pitcher Laura Caldwell (Bellefonte, PA /Bellefonte) (Bellefonte, Pa. / Bellefonte) was brilliant in front of her hometown crowd to lead SFU to its first-ever win over Penn State with seven stellar innings. She struck out five and walked one, while giving up two runs on four hits. Caldwell tied the Saint Francis school record with her 44th career win.
In addition to Caldwell, three other seniors played pivotal roles in the seventh inning. Senior Kara Stroup (Valencia, PA /Mars) (Valencia, Pa. / Mars) went 3-for-3 in the game, including a pair of hits in the two-run innings in the sixth and seventh. Senior Kelly Slingwine (Gibsonia, PA /Pine Richland) (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) led off the seventh with a single, and eventually scored on an RBI single by senior Nicole Waligora (Johnstown, PA /Westmont Hilltop) (Johnstown, Pa. / Johnstown). Stroup then followed with a two-out solo home run to give SFU the 4-2 lead.
Caldwell retired the Nittany Lions in order in the bottom half of the inning to secure the win.
Penn State rallied for two runs in the fifth inning for a 2-0 win in Game 2. Freshman Megan Layne (Vallejo, Calif. / Rodriguez) was terrific throughout the game. She gave up just one earned run on six hits, struck out four and walked two in 6.0 innings.
Junior Jamie Dixon (Revloc, PA /Central Cambria ) (Revloc, Pa. / Central Cambria) had two of Saint Francis' three hits in the game. Waligora also had a single.
The Red Flash moved their record to 19-22 overall, and will look to carry the momentum of Thursday's win with a 1 p.m. Saturday doubleheader against in-state Northeast Conference rival Robert Morris. The game will be played at the Red Flash Softball Field.
