First Game

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Junior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) threw four no-hit innings and fellow junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) closed out the fifth inning to earn Saint Francis' first no-hitter since 2008 in the Red Flash's 11-0  win over UNC Wilmington.  SFU opened the season with a mercy-run rule win that included three home runs.
 
Santai and DeVries combined for the program's first no-hitter since Laura Caldwell threw one on April 14, 2008 in a 1-0 win vs. Central Connecticut State.
 
The Red Flash duo allowed only eight total baserunners to reach, with two reaching on errors.  Santai threw 70 pitches in four innings, while walking four.  DeVries threw one inning, with a strikeout and a hit batter.
 
Red Flash freshmen combined for eight of SFU's 13 hits and six runs on the day.  Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) both collected home runs as their first career hit.  At the top of the lineup, freshman Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) went three-for-four with a triple and scored three runs.  McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) added two hits and knocked in a pair of runs.
 
Sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) collected three hits, with two doubles and a homer, and drove in five runs.  Senior Kate Blattenberger (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) contributed two hits and an RBI.
 
The Red Flash got on the board first, with a three-run opening inning.  After a leadoff single by freshman Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) to left, fellow rookie Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) lined a single to second base to move McKee to third.  A fielder's choice to the shortstop by junior Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) drove in McKee to put Saint Francis up 1-0.
 
Two pitches later, sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) launched a fly ball over the left field fence to give SFU a 3-0 advantage.  After back-to-back walks drawn by sophomore Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) and junior a 40-minute rain delay, senior Kate Blattenberger (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) singled up the middle to drive in Cabell to put SFU up 4-0.
 
UNC Wilmington threatened in the top of the first as the first two batters reached on an error and a walk, but Santai held the Seahawks scoreless. 
 
The Red Flash added another run in the second inning as Norton crushed a ball over the center field wall for her first career homer to give Saint Francis a 5-0 lead.
 
The Seahawks got two more runners on in the bottom of the third on a two-out walk and a hit batter, but Santai got the next batter to groundout back to the circle. 
 
Saint Francis picked up another four-run inning in the top of the fourth.  Freshman Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) launched her first career home run to lead off the inning, a shot to center.  After Bower drew a walk, junior Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough) entered as a pinch-runner.  Seneca then lined a shot to the left field gap for a double to score McKee. A single to center by rookie McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) drove in Marconi and Seneca to put Saint Francis up 9-0.
 
Two more runs crossed the plate in the top of the fifth for the Red Flash.  After Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) reached on an error, Sierra Mckee singled through the middle to put runners on first and second.  Seneca smashed her third extra-base hit of the day, with a double to right-center to drive in the McKees. 
 
With an 11-run lead, the Red Flash closed out the top of the fifth to secure the mercy-run rule victory.  DeVries struck out the final batter of the inning.
 
Second Game

WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Saint Francis softball team earned its second win on Opening Day with an 8-5 victory over Army.  The Red Flash scored in each of the first five innings, including three multi-run innings. 

Freshman Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) and Cabell both collected a pair of hits on the evening, with Cabell and junior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each driving in two runs.  Norton, Troxell and Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) each plated one runner. 

Bower started the game in the circle, throwing one inning, while allowing two hits, a run and walking three.  Junior Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) took over for the next five innings, throwing 96 pitches, including 60 strikes.  Lauthers gave up four runs, three earned, on 10 hits, while striking out two batters and walking two.  DeVries entered in the seventh to pick up her first save of the season, striking out two and walking one in a scoreless frame.

Saint Francis posted two runs in the top of the first to open the scoring. With two outs and Bower on first, Seneca reached on a throwing error by the shortstop that allowed Bower to move to third.  After Burge drew a walk to load the bases, Cabell lined a single to right to drive in Bower and Seneca and take a 2-0 advantage.

Army West Point answered with a run in the bottom of the frame.  The first two batters of the inning reached on walks, though the first batter was later caught stealing by catcher Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson).  Following the second walk were back to back singles then drove in a run to make it 2-1 SFU. 

The Red Flash responded with two runs in the top of the second. With runners on first and second, Norton lined a double to left to score Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois). Two batters later, Seneca reached on an error by the first baseman, which scored Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), putting SFU up 4-1.

Saint Francis added another run in the top of the third.  After Cabell doubled to leadoff the inning, three batters later, Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) doubled to center to plate Cabell.  Red Flash led 5-1.

The Black Knights got another run in the bottom of the third.  After a walk, a double to left scored the runner from first to cut the lead to 5-2.

SFU plated two more in the top of the fourth as Witthus drove in Norton and Seneca on a line drive to right.  Norton reached base on a hit by pitch to leadoff the inning.  Seneca got on with an infield single and moved to second two batters later after a walk drawn by Cabell.  Saint Francis led 7-2.

Army West Point answered back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth on a double down the left field line to cut the SFU lead to 7-4.

Saint Francis added a run in the top of the fifth.  With two runners on, Troxell singled up the middle to plate Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and put the Red Flash up 8-4.

The Black Knights responded in the bottom of the fifth, scoring on a single to right after putting runners on first and second.  SFU led 8-5 after five innings.

The Red Flash returns to action on Saturday.  SFU is scheduled to play UNC Wilmington at 10 a.m. and Eastern Kentucky at 3 p.m.