NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Saint Francis softball team lost a doubleheader at Central Connecticut State on Saturday afternoon, 5-0 and 6-0. The Red Flash faced one of the top pitchers in the nation in Laura Messina in both contests.

In game one, the Red Flash had three innings in which it put two runners on base. In all three cases, the Flash came up just a hit shy of plating a run. CCSU hit a solo home run in the bottom of the first and added three more runs in the third to lead, 4-0, heading to the fourth.

In that time, the Flash hadn't yet had a baserunner against Messina. But that changed with the Flash's first two hitters of the fourth inning. Taylor Parsons (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle) led off with a flare to right, and Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) followed with a walk to give the Flash two runners on base with nobody out.

Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) followed and just missed a home run as she missed the sweet spot and flied into the wind in left. The ball held up for a fly out, and the ball didn't leave the infield following that play in the rest of the inning.

After CCSU made it 5-0 in the home half of the frame, Elise Jancef (Wilson, N.Y./Wilson) singled and Lindsey Reid (Bear, Del./Caravel Academy) was hit by a pitch in the fifth. That chance, along with a single by Bower and a walk to Blattenberger in the sixth, went scoreless.

Jancef led off the seventh inning with a double to left field for her second hit of the game. Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) pitched well in relief for the Flash, allowing just one run on three hits in 3 2/3 innings of work.
In game two, Bower pitched a solid game, allowing just three earned runs and four total runs in five innings of work. She didn't allow a hit until a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead.

The Flash came back with back-to-back hits to open the fourth inning. Wittus led off with an infield single, and Bower followed with her second hit of the game on a single to left. After a fielder's choice, however, the Flash hit into a double play to end the inning to keep the score at 2-0.

Central Connecticut came back with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to double its lead to 4-0, and it scored two more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Blue Devils played outstanding defense in game two. Parsons was robbed of a pair of doubles on a diving catch and a leaping grab at the wall in center field. Jordan Seneca (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) also lined out to third base on a great stab to end to the game.

The Flash continues NEC play tomorrow afternoon at Bryant at noon.