First Game
 
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Saint Francis softball team earned a five-inning 10-1 win over Mount St. Mary's in the first game of the day on Sunday at the Diamond Devil Invitational, hosted by Arizona State.  The Red Flash reached 10 runs for the fourth time this season, including a three-run home run by sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum).  SFU improved to 7-7 on the year, while Mount St. Mary's dropped to 0-5.
 
Junior Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) earned her third win of the season, pitching the first four innings.  Lauthers allowed only one run, unearned, on four hits, while striking out one and walking one.  Freshman Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) threw the final inning, a scoreless frame, as she gave up a hit and a walk.
 
Mount St. Mary's Sam Lichtner took the loss after allowing five runs on two hits and four walks without retiring a batter in the first inning.
 
Seneca led the SFU offense with three RBI and two runs scored.  Freshman Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) scored three runs and drove in two on a home run.  Freshman Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and sophomore Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) each had a hit and an RBI.
 
The Red Flash got off to a strong start with five runs in the bottom of the first.  After a leadoff walk drawn by Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), fellow rookie, Norton, launched an opposite-field home run.  With the bases loaded, Cabell drew a walk to score Seneca, who had reached on a walk.  A fourth run scored on a walk by junior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) to drive in freshman Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry).  A wild pitch during the next at-bat allowed Cabell to score and give SFU a 5-0 advantage. 
 
Saint Francis added a run in the bottom of the second.  Norton walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a passed ball.  After a groundout by Seneca moved Norton to third, junior Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) hit a sacrifice fly to right to allow Norton to score the sixth run of the day.
 
Mount St. Mary's scored in the top of the third.  With one out and runners on second and third, Lindsay Heinze grounded out to shortstop to drive in Megan Baker for the only Mount run of the day.
 
Seneca hit her sixth home run of the season, and third of the weekend, in the bottom of the third. With two on and two out, Seneca hit a ball over the fence in left-center for a three-run shot.  Senior Aly Ramsaier (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) and Norton also scored as the Red Flash extended its lead to 9-1.
 
The 10th run of the game came on a double to left-center by Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) to score Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), who had doubled to right-center to leadoff the inning. 
 
Second Game
 
TEMPE, Ariz. – The Saint Francis softball team fell 11-3 in five innings in its second game on Sunday against No. 19 Arizona State at the Diamond Devil Invitational.  The Red Flash scored a run in three straight innings and was within one run going into the bottom of the third, but the Sun Devils bats got hot in the final three innings.  SFU is now 7-8 this spring, while Arizona State improved to 15-2.
 
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) took the loss for Saint Francis and is now 1-2 this season.  Bower started and pitched 2.1 innings, allowing six runs, five earned, on five hits and walked two batters.  Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) replaced Bower with one out in the third inning, also throwing 2.1 innings, while giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits, with a strikeout and a walk.
 
Breanna Macha started and improved to 5-1 for Arizona State.  She pitched three innings, allowing two runs on two hits, while walking five and striking out one.  Kelsey Kessler covered the final two innings, giving up a run on two hits, while striking out three batters.
 
Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) hit her second home run of the day and fourth of the season.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) each added a double and an RBI.
 
The Sun Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the first.  The first run scored after a throw down to second on a steal attempt hit the runner's helmet and bounced out to center field, allowing Abby Spiel to cross the plate.  Nikki Girard doubled to the gap in left center to drive in Nichole Chilson, followed by an RBI single to left by Sashel Palacios. 
 
The Red Flash answered with a run in the top of the second.  With two outs and runners on first and second, McKee doubled to the center field wall to plate Aly Ramsaier (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) and cut the deficit to 3-1.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the third.  With runners on the corners and one out, Cabell hit a sacrifice fly to right to allow Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) to cross the plate.
 
Arizona State responded with four runs in the bottom of the third.  Girard hit a double to center to drive in Chelsea Gonzales.  Later in the inning, Ulufa Leilua hit a three-run home run to center to give ASU a 7-2 lead.
 
Norton knocked in SFU's third run of the game on a home run to right center.  On an 0-1 pitch, Norton lined a shot over the wall.
 
The Sun Devils added four runs in the bottom of the fifth to clinch a mercy-rule victory.  The inning included a two-RBI single by Gonzales and an RBI single by Chilson.  ASU also got a run on an infield single by Spiel.
 
Saint Francis will play a doubleheader on Wednesday against Grand Canyon in Tempe, Ariz.  The Antelopes are 12-5 this season.