First Game
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team earned a 12-4 mercy-rule, six-inning win over Cornell in the first game of the doubleheader on Saturday at Red Flash Softball Field.  SFU made its home debut and tallied nine hits, including three home runs, to improve to 10-12 this season.
 
Junior Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) picked up her third win of the season, pitching a complete game.  Bower allowed four runs on six hits, while striking out two and walking four.
 
Maddie Orcutt took the loss for Cornell, pitching 5.1 innings, while giving up 12 runs on nine hits, while striking out four and walking six.  Orcutt also hit five Red Flash batters.
 
Eight SFU batters had at least one hit.  Freshman Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) and junior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each hit three-run homers, while Bower hit a solo shot and scored three runs.  Troxell also scored three runs.  Freshman Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) added two hits and an RBI.
 
Cornell got on the board first with a two-run home run by Meg Parker in the top of the first, which also scored Jessica Bigbie. 
 
The Red Flash responded with five runs in the bottom of the first. With two outs and the bases loaded, sophomore Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) singled to left to drive in Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) and Bower.  Witthus followed with a three-run homer over the center field wall.  SFU led 5-2 after the first inning.
 
Cornell added a run in the top of the third on a fielder's choice by Megan Murray, which scored Emily Weinberg.
 
Saint Francis scored two runs in the bottom of the third.  Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) led off the inning with a home run to center.  Three straight walks loaded the bases for the Red Flash.  With one out, Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) singled to left to drive in Troxell.
 
The Big Red got a run in the top of the fourth.  After a leadoff double by Rebecca Kubena, two batters later, a sacrifice fly by Olivia May plated Kubena.
 
In infield single by Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) in the bottom of the fifth extended the Red Flash lead to 8-4.  The single allowed Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) to cross the plate.
 
Saint Francis closed out the mercy-rule win with four runs in the bottom of the sixth.  After walks by Seneca and Bower, Troxell launched a home run to left center.  Three batters later, Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) doubled to right center to score Witthus and give SFU an eight-run advantage.
 
Second Game
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team kept its bats hot from the first game of the day, defeating Cornell, 12-4, in the second game.  The Red Flash totaled 12 hits, including two home runs.  SFU improved to 11-12 on the year.
 
Junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) earned the win after pitching 3.1 shutout innings in relief.  She allowed only three hits, while striking out four and walking one.  Junior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) started the game, throwing 2.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits with a strikeout.
 
Sierra Stone pitched the entire game for Cornell, allowing 12 runs on 12 hits, while striking out three and walking four.
 
Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) went 4-for-4, including a homer, for the Red Flash with four RBI and three runs scored.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) added two hits and four RBI, while scoring two runs.  Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) hit a homer and went 2-for-4.  Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) and Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each scored two runs.
 
The Red Flash opened up the scoring with four runs in the bottom of the second.  With runners on first and second, Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) singled to right field to drive in Troxell.  Three batters later, McKee doubled to left to score Witthus and Bower.  Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) followed with an RBI single to right.
 
Cornell answered with four runs in the top of the third, with all four coming on home runs.  Olivia May led off the inning with a homer to left center.  With two outs and a runner on first, Megan Murray homered to left, which also scored Emily Weinberg.  Tori Togashi tied the game with a solo home run to left.
 
However, Saint Francis bounced back to score four more runs in the bottom of the third.  After Witthus was hit by a pitch, one of three times she got hit in the game, Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) and senior Aly Ramsaier (Mesa, Ariz./Mountain View) hit back-to-back singles to bring up Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) with the bases loaded.  McKee hit a sac fly to center to score Witthus.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) followed by lining a triple to right center to plate two runs.  Norton then hit a line-drive double to center to score McKee and give SFU an 8-4 lead.
 
The Red Flash clinched its second mercy-rule win of the day with four more runs in the bottom of the sixth.  With one out, Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) hit her second home run of the day, another to center field.  Three batters later, Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) took the lead of her sister and launched her own home run, a three-run shot to left, to end the game.
 
The Red Flash returns to action on Sunday for the final game of the series against Cornell.  First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.