BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team opened the home portion of its schedule on Friday afternoon, and it got off to a fast start in defeating NEC opponent Central Connecticut, 3-2, in the first game of a doubleheader.
 
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) and Sabrie Neeb (Front Royal, Va./Skyline) each had two hits, and each had a home run among those hits. Bower's came in the first inning, a solo shot to center to make it 1-0. Chelsy Cosentino (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area) followed with a double, and she came home when Neeb's pop to third was carried by the wind and unable to be caught to give SFU the early 2-0 lead.
 
Central Connecticut responded with two unearned runs in the top of the fourth inning against Bower who was tough to hit all day. In the first game, she allowed just the two unearned runs on five hits while punching out four.
 
The offense rewarded her in the sixth. Neeb went opposite field to give the Flash the 3-2 lead and the game one victory. She finished the first game 2-for-2 with a walk and two RBIs.
 
In game two, Bower allowed just one earned run in six innings, but the Flash could muster just two hits as CCSU hit two home runs to win 5-0. Samantha Thomas (Sterling, Va./Park View) and Cosentino accounted for the hits, and Thomas highlighted the defense with a sliding grab with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the sixth inning.
 
The Flash (21-15, 4-4) returns home tomorrow for a doubleheader with Bryant starting at noon.