BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Saint Francis softball team swept Sacred Heart in a Northeast Conference doubleheader Saturday, defeating the Pioneers 9-6 and 2-0.

The two games had totally different feels as the offenses dominated the opener. The Flash got the ball rolling with three runs in the top of the first. Davina Kachnovitz (Bear, Del./Glasgow) led off the game with a single, and Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) followed with a double to left. After an out, Taylor Parsons (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle) struck out but reached on a passed ball to allow pinch runner Shannon Tomasello (Scottdale, Pa./Southmoreland) to score. Samantha Thomas (Sterling, Va./Park View) had a bunt single after two outs to bring Bower home to make it 2-0, and Parsons raced home on a double steal later in the inning to make it 3-0. Parsons' steal of second base in the inning gave the Flash 68 stolen bases on the season, a new school record. The 2009 team finished with 67.

Bower hit her second double of the game in the third and she later scored on a passed ball to make it 4-0. Sacred Heart fought back, though, scoring three runs in its half of the third and one in the fourth to tie the score at 4-4.

The teams traded runs in the fifth. Chelsy Cosentino (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area) sacrifice bunted Kachnovitz and Bower to second and third base. After Parsons was intentionally walked to load the bases, Sabrie Neeb (Front Royal, Va./Skyline) flied out to right to allow Kachnovitz to score. Sacred Heart made it 5-5 in the bottom half with an RBI ground out.

It stayed that way until the seventh. The Flash loaded the bases with one out. A fielding error on a Lindsey Reid (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) grounder to short brought Parsons home to make it 6-5. After the inning's second out, Maggie Creciun (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) singled up the middle to make it 7-5. One batter later, Kachnovitz singled home two more runs to give the Flash a 9-5 lead. The Pioneers added one in the bottom half, but the Flash earned the conference victory.

Kachnovitz led three Flash players with multiple hits. She was 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBIs. Bower was 2-for-4 with two runs scored as she also earned her 15^th pitching victory of the season. Thomas also had two hits in four trips.

Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) had a pitching performance in game two that guaranteed a lower scoring affair. She allowed just two hits in seven innings: a leadoff single in the second and a one-out hit in the third. She retired the final 14 hitters she faced and didn't allow a walk while striking out four on the day.

Lauthers had help from her defense. Reid had six assists from second base, and Thomas made a spectacular sliding grab coming in on a shallow fly to right for the second out of the sixth inning.

The Flash got on the board in the third inning. Creciun singled after one out and later scored on Bower's infield single. Saint Francis added an insurance run in the sixth. Parsons walked, Neeb singled and Thomas reached via error to load the bases for Reid. She was hit in the ankle by a pitch to force home the second run of the game.

Creciun led the team with two hits and had the run scored.

The Flash steps out of conference for the final time in the 2014 regular season tomorrow afternoon at Lehigh. The doubleheader is scheduled for a noon start.