LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team split its doubleheader at Red Flash Softball Field on Tuesday against Bucknell.  SFU fell 9-3 in the first game, but bounced back for an 8-1 victory in the second game.  Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) propelled the Red Flash offense with two home runs, including a grand slam in the second game.   SFU is now 25-18 overall, while Bucknell is 23-19.
 
Seneca also drew a walk in the first game, which moved her into sole possession of the single-season walks record at SFU with her 31st base-on-balls.  The record was set by Jamie Krusinsky in 2002.
 
The Red Flash welcomes Bryant and Mount St. Mary's this weekend to continue NEC play.  SFU takes on the Bulldogs on Saturday at 1 p.m. and The Mount on Sunday at Noon.  The Red Flash will celebrate Senior Day on Sunday.
 
First Game
 
Junior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) started for the Red Flash, but dropped to 4-6 on the season.  Santai threw four innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out two and walking one.  Junior Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) replaced Santai.  Lauthers went three innings, giving up five runs on 10 hits.  She fanned three batters.
 
Dana Nielsen started for Bucknell and picked up her ninth win of the year.  Nielsen pitched four innings, allowing a run on four hits, while striking out four and walking one.  Lara Bean entered in the fifth to throw one frame.  She gave up two runs, on two hits, with two strikeouts and three walks.  Amanda Fazio threw the final two innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit.
 
Sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) led the Red Flash offense with two hits, including a solo home run.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) added an RBI single, while Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) had two knocks, including a double, and scored a run.
 
Amanda Fazio, Meghan Kovac and Ryanne Rokos each had three hits for Bucknell.  Kovac and Rokos each drove in two runs. The Bison got home runs from Kovac and Christina Martinez.
 
Bucknell got on the board with two runs in the top of the first.  Kovac's double to left-center drove in Fazio.  Later in the inning, with runners on first and third, a steal play allowed Kovac to cross the plate.
 
The Bison added two runs in the top of the fourth on a home run to center by Martinez, which also plated Lauren Hadley, giving Bucknell a 4-0 lead.
 
The Red Flash got a run back in the bottom of the fourth.  With one out, Seneca fought through a nine-pitch at-bat, sending the last pitch over the left field wall for her 12th of the season.  SFU cut the deficit to 4-1.
 
Saint Francis plated two more runs in the bottom of the fifth to trim the Bucknell lead to 4-3.  Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) led off the inning with a double to right center.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) followed with a single up the middle to score her sister.  Walks drawn by Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Seneca set up Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) with the bases loaded.  Troxell worked a walk to allow S. McKee to score from third. 
 
Bucknell answered with a run in the top of the sixth.  With two outs and runners on the corners, Rokos hit a dribbler down the first base line, which settled in fair territory.  The hit allowed Hadley to score from third.
 
The Bison added four runs in the top of the seventh.  Kovac led off the inning with a home run to left center.  Bucknell followed with RBI singles by Chaylen Andolino, Rokos and Fazio to extend its lead to 9-3.
 
Second Game
 
Junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) shut down the Bucknell offense in the second game, throwing a complete game to improve to 9-3 this season.  DeVries allowed only one run, unearned, on five hits, while striking out eight and walking three.  She did not give up a baserunner through 3.1 innings and only had two innings with more than one baserunner allowed.  Six batted balls reached the outfield, with only two dropping for hits.
 
Amanda Fazio pitched the first four innings for Bucknell, giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits.  She struck out six and walked one batter.  Fazio entered the game with a 1.81 ERA, ranking in the Top 50 in Division I.  Cindy Cherness threw two innings, allowing four runs on three hits, with two strikeouts and three walks.
 
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) again led the way for the Red Flash offense in game two.  Seneca launched a grand slam in the sixth inning to give SFU an 8-1 advantage.  She also walked and scored two runs. 
 
Seneca's grand slam was her second of the season.  She also hit one against Arizona State on February 27.  That was also Seneca's 13th home run of the year, one shy of tying the SFU single-season record held by Jamie Krusinsky (2000).
 
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) added two hits and an RBI, while Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) drove in two runs on a triple.  Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) each scored twice.
 
The Bison offense was led by Ryanne Rokos, who recorded three hits and scored a run.
 
Saint Francis opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first.  With one out, Norton was hit by a pitch.  A groundout by Seneca moved Norton to second.  Bower followed by shooting a groundball towards the second baseman.  A tricky hop deflected off the fielder and into center field, allowing Norton to cross the plate.
 
The Red Flash added a run in the bottom of the third.  Seneca reached on an error by the shortstop with two outs.  A wild pitch moved Seneca to second.  Bower followed with a single to center as Seneca came around to score and extend the SFU lead to 2-0.
 
SFU plated two more runs in the bottom of the fourth.  McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) drew a walk to begin the inning.  With two outs, McKee reached on an infield single to second.  With runners at first and second, Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) smoked a line drive to the wall in right-center for a triple.  Burge and C. McKee crossed the plate to give SFU a 4-0 advantage.
 
Bucknell got their first run of the game in the top of the sixth.  The Bison loaded the bases with one out after two singles and a walk.  Lauren Hadley's groundball towards third took a late hop and deflected into foul territory, allowing Rokos to score and cut the SFU lead to 4-1.
 
The Red Flash broke the game open on Seneca's slam in the bottom of the sixth.  Walks by Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) and Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), as well as a single by Norton, loaded the bases for Seneca.  The junior wasted no time, sending the first pitch over the wall in straight-away center, giving SFU a comfortable 8-1 lead.