FORT MYERS, Fla.  (Feb. 26, 2011) – Albany scored a first inning run, but junior Megan Layne (Vallejo, Calif./Rodriguez) made it stand as the Saint Francis softball team rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Great Danes on Saturday night at the Florida Gulf Coast Tournament.

 

Albany took a 1-0 lead in the first, but freshman Ashley Thomas had an RBI single in the second inning and Katie McMellen (Kingsville, OH /Edgewood) drove in another in the fourth to help the Red Flash to their second win of the season.

 

SFU improved to 2-6 on the season, and will face Eastern Michigan at 3:45 p.m. on Sunday before taking on Florida Gulf Coast at 6 p.m.

 

The Red Flash dropped an 11-4 contest against UMBC earlier in the day.

 

“We played as a team for 7.0 innings,” said Saint Francis head coach Sabrina Lane. “We really worked every inning and didn't get complacent. It was a great game and a big win for us. We need to keep this momentum going into tomorrow against EMU and FGCU, both incredibly tough opponents. It was great to bounce back after the rough outing this afternoon (against UMBC). It is great to get help from everyone in our line-up, one through nine plus pitching.”

Layne picked up the win by giving up just one run on five hits in 7.0 innings. She struck out three and walked two in the contest. Sophomore Karlie Miller had two hits in the game.

 

Katie McMellen (Kingsville, OH /Edgewood) went 5-for-5 in the 11-4 loss against the retrievers, while junior Paige Smith (Saugus, Calif./Valencia) and sophomore Taylor Darneille had two hits each.

 

For periodic softball updates and other Red Flash news, follow Director of Athletic Communications Bob Volkert on Twitter at SFUVolkert.