LORETTO, Pa. (Apr. 15, 2010) – The Saint Francis softball team rallied late to have a chance to tie, but the tying run was thrown out at the plate to end a 5-4 loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader versus Bucknell on Thursday afternoon.

The Bison broke open a tight ballgame in the second contest on their way to an 11-1, six-inning victory in the nightcap.

The Red Flash dropped their 13^th straight game to fall to 8-30 on the year. They will try to snap the skid when Central Connecticut State visits for a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday.

Trailing 5-1, junior Raquel Rugani (Montour, PA/Montour) (McKees Rocks, Pa. / Montour) laced a three-run home run over the left field fence to bring SFU's deficit to one run, 5-4, in the sixth inning.

Sophomore Katie McMellen (Kingsville, OH /Edgewood) (Kingsville, Ohio / Edgewood) then singled to left field with one out in the seventh inning, and moved to second on a groundout. Rugani was then intentionally walked to put runners on first and second with two outs. Sophomore Courtney Francis (Jefferson, Ohio/Jefferson Area) (Jefferson, Ohio / Jefferson Area) ripped a single to left field as McMellen rounded third to try to score, but she was gunned down at the plate on a close play to end the game.

McMellen was 3-for-4 in the game with one run scored, and freshman Taylor Darneille (Fircrest, Wash. / Wilson) hit her team-leading fourth homer of the season, and third in the past two days. Senior Christina Aulbach (York, PA /Dallastown Area) (York, Pa. / Dallastown Area) had two hits.

Bucknell took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of Game 2, only to see the Red Flash answer in the next half frame.

McMellen singled to start the inning, senior Stephanie Griffin (Dupont, PA /Pittston Area ) (Dupont, Pa. / Pittston Area) walked, and Darneille reached on catchers' interference to load the bases with no outs. Rugani came the plate and laced a liner to right field that was caught. However, McMellen came across to score SFU's only run on the sacrifice fly.

Bucknell's Alyssa Okita hit a solo homer in the second inning to put her team up 2-1, and the Bison scored two runs in the fourth inning, three in the fifth and four more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Darneille reached base all three times at the plate, once on a single and twice on catchers' interference. McMellen, Francis, Aulbach and freshman Misty Hammel (Oakville, Ontario / Holy Trinity) also had hits for SFU.