Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (March 25, 2012) – On its final set of road games before the home opener, the Saint Francis University softball team split a pair of Northeast Conference games against LIU Brooklyn Sunday afternoon.

Behind a three-hit performance from freshman Taylor Parsons, the Red Flash (12-12, 2-2 NEC) took the first game of the twin bill from the Blackbirds (9-27, 1-3 NEC) by a 5-3 final score. Parsons opened up the scoring for SFU in her first at-bat of the day, sending her second homerun of the season to right center and put the Flash up early 1-0.

Saint Francis tacked on another run in the fourth thanks to an RBI single that plated Kaitlin Andler (Evanston, Ill./Evanston), who singled up the middle to lead off the inning. After the Blackbirds cut the lead to one in their half of the fourth, SFU exploded for its final three runs of the contest in the top of inning five. Starting shortstop Davina Kachnovitz crossed the plate first in the inning by way of a wild pitch throw by LIU. With one-out in the inning, Andler connected on her second long ball of the season scoring not only herself, but Parsons as well.

LIU brought home two more runs throughout the remainder of the opening game but Saint Francis held on for its second NEC win of the year which ties its total conference wins from the 2011 season.

Brooke Koch (Jersey Shore, Pa./Jersey Shore) improved her pitching record to 5-1 on the young season by tossing all seven innings while allowing three earned runs on just four hits. Koch also threw in a career-high eight strikeouts.

It was the Blackbirds who struck first in the second game of the doubleheader, plating two runs in the second inning. In the top of the fourth, SFU cut the lead in half after Parsons smacked a ground rule double to start the top frame and eventually scored on a passed ball.

Getting down to the end of the contest, the Red Flash tied things up in the sixth when a fielding error on LIU scored Andler from third. Unfortunately for Saint Francis the good feeling would be short lived when a walk-off single by LIU's Nicole Archer drove in the game winning run and gave the Blackbirds its first conference win of the season and head coach Roy Kortmann's 500^th career victory.

Megan Layne (Vallejo, Calif./Rodriguez) (4-6) was dealt the loss in game two after pitching 6.1 innings of work giving up three earned runs on seven hits. Parsons was a solid 5-for-8 on the day.

Saint Francis opens the home portion of its 2012 schedule with a 1 p.m. doubleheader matchup Saturday against NEC foe Fairleigh Dickinson.