First Game
 
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Saint Francis softball team earned a 13-6 win over UMass on Friday to open up the East Carolina Pirate Clash.  The Red Flash tallied a season-high 13 runs on a season-best 16 hits, including a pair of five-run innings.  SFU improved to 4-2 on the season.  UMass is now 0-4 this year.
 
Junior Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) picked up her second win of the season, pitching five innings, while allowing four hits, two runs, both unearned and a walk, while striking out two.  Freshman Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) pitched the sixth inning, giving up two runs on three hits.  Junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) closed out the game with three strikeouts in the seventh, while allowing two runs on a hit and a walk.
 
Sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) launched her third home run of the season, already bettering her total from 2015.  Seneca finished with five RBI on the day, adding a two-run double.  Junior Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) had an RBI single and scored two runs.  Senior Aly Ramsaier (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) contributed a knock and drove in two runs. 
 
Freshmen had a big impact again, combining for 12 hits and seven runs scored.  Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) led the way with four hits, while driving in three runs and scoring three.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) had two hits in the leadoff spot and scored three runs.  Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) added two hits and scored a run.  Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) contributed two knocks and two RBI, while McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) had two hits.
 
The Red Flash opened up the scoring in the top of the first on Seneca's third home run of the season.  After S. McKee drew a walk to lead off the inning, Norton singled to left field.  On a 3-1 pitch, Seneca hit a ball over the center field fence to put SFU up 3-0. 
 
The Red Flash plated two more first inning runs on a single to left by Ramsaier.  After the homer by Seneca, Bower drew a walk, which was followed by a double to left by C. McKee to setup Ramsaier.
 
UMass scored in the bottom of the second inning.  With two outs and the bases loaded, an infield single by Erin Stacevicz drove in Tara Klee. 
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the fourth.  With runners on second and third, Bower's infield single to third scored S. McKee.  The inning started with one-out singles by McKee and Norton.  Seneca reached on a fielder's choice and stole second to setup Bower. 
 
The Minutemen answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center by Olivia Godin, which scored Klee.
 
SFU drove in two more runs in the top of the sixth.  With two outs and Bower on first, after a fielder's choice, C. McKee tripled down the right field line to score Bower. Troxell followed with an infield single to plate McKee and extend the Red Flash lead to 8-2.
 
UMass added two runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Ashton Wince doubled to left to drive in Taylor Carbone.  The next batter, Meg Colleran, singled to left to plate Carbone and cut the SFU lead to 8-4.
 
The Red Flash responded with another five-run inning in the top of the seventh.  After a flyout to start the inning, a walk drawn by junior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson), a single by S. McKee and a hit by pitch drawn by Norton, the bases were loaded for Seneca.  The sophomore doubled to right center to score Witthus and S. McKee.  Two batters later, C. McKee singled through the left side to score Seneca and pinch-runner Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough).  A single by Troxell plated McKee for the fifth run of the frame.  SFU led 13-4. 
 
The Minutemen scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a home run to center field by Jena Cozza to cut the Red Flash advantage to 13-6.
 
Second Game
 
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Saint Francis softball team fell 5-3 against Bucknell in the second game on Friday at the East Carolina Pirate Clash.  The Red Flash finished with a split on day one.  SFU totaled eight hits against the Bison.  SFU is now 4-3 this season.
 
Junior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) took the loss to drop to 2-2.  In 4.2 innings of work, Santai allowed five runs, four earned, on nine hits, while striking out two.  DeVries pitched the final 1.1 innings, including two strikeouts.
 
S. McKee and Norton each had two hits.  C. McKee and Witthus each added a hit and scored a run.  Sophomore Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) drove in a run.
 
After three scoreless innings, Bucknell opened up the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the fourth off of a single by Chaylen Andolino.
 
The Red Flash got one run back in the top of the fifth.  Witthus doubled to right center to start the inning.  Three batters later, Seneca reached on a throwing error by the third baseman, which allowed Witthus to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.
 
Bucknell plated three runs in the bottom of the fifth.  After a one-out triple by Amanda Fazio, back-to-back doubles by Lauren Hadley and Meghan Kovac each drove in a run.  A third run scored on a fielding error during Anna Gimmestad's at-bat.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the sixth.  After leadoff singles by C. McKee and Troxell, Cabell drew a walk to load the bases.  Senior Kate Blattenberger (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) came in as a pinch-hitter and drew a five-pitch walk to plate McKee.  The Red Flash cut the Bucknell lead to 5-2.
 
The Red Flash scored its third run of the game in the top of the seventh.  With two outs and runners on first and second, Cabell singled through the left side to score Seneca and cut the deficit to 5-3. 
 
The Red Flash continues the East Carolina Pirate Clash on Saturday.  SFU takes on UMass at 12:30 p.m. and East Carolina at 5:30 p.m.