BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team used another outstanding pitching performance by Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) and her extra-inning home run proved to be the difference as the Red Flash defeated Penn State, 4-2, in eight innings on Wednesday night at Beard Field.

SFU (18-8) threatened in the third inning. The Flash led off with a Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) walk and a Lindsey Reid (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) infield single. After an out, Samantha Thomas (Sterling, Va./Park View) laced a hit to left center, but the Nittany Lions were able to throw Witthus out at the plate to keep the game scoreless.

The Flash got on the board in the fourth. Sabrie Neeb (Front Royal, Va./Skyline) walked after one out and Taylor Parsons (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle), who bunted in a similar situation in her second inning at-bat, took a different approach this time. She launched a pitch high and deep over the right field fence to give the Flash a 2-0 lead.

Bower kept the Nittany Lions scoreless into the seventh inning. Penn State led off with a home run to cut the lead to 2-1. A single, an error and a sacrifice bunt put the tying run at third and the winning run at second with just one out. The next hitter fouled out to Samantha Thomas (Sterling, Va./Park View) in right field, but it was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to tie the score to send the game to extra innings. The runs allowed by Bower were her first in 22 1/3 innings pitched.

But she came back in the eighth with a vengeance. Thomas singled after two outs to bring Bower up, and she wasted no time in hammering a two-run shot to center field to give the Flash a 4-2 lead.

Penn State again threatened in the bottom half with a double, single and sacrifice bunt to put the tying run at second base. A fly to Parsons in center appeared to make the score 4-3, but the Red Flash appealed that the runner scoring on the play left third base early. The umpire agreed, calling the runner out and ending the game.

It was the Red Flash's first win against Penn State in four years and the team's third victory against the NIttany Lions in 33 tries.

Davina Kachnovitz (Bear, Del./Glasgow) walked and scored in the third inning of game two to give the Flash a 1-0 lead. She broke for the plate as Chelsy Cosentino (New Kensington, Pa./Kiski Area) created a diversion on a steal attempt from first base. Kachnovitz crossed the plate prior to Cosentino being tagged for the inning's third out to give SFU the lead. But Penn State batted around in the fifth inning to take the lead on its way to a 9-1 win.

The Flash continues its road trip tomorrow afternoon at Cleveland State. The doubleheader begins at 1:00 p.m.