LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team split its doubleheader against Central Connecticut State on Thursday. The Red Flash dropped the first game, 5-4, on a late homer by CCSU, but bounced back for an 8-0, mercy-rule win in the second game. SFU is now 31-22 overall, with an 11-3 mark in conference play.
With the win in the second game, Saint Francis has clinched at least the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament next week.
Saint Francis is now two wins shy of the school record of 33 victories, held by the 1998 team.
The Red Flash is also closing in on the NEC single-season records for RBI and runs scored. SFU now has 345 runs on the year, eight shy of the NEC mark held by UMBC (2006), and 316 RBI, four behind the record, also held by UMBC (2006).
With 416 hits, SFU now needs 13 to top the 2006 team for a new school record. SFU also needs four doubles to set a new school record as they currently have 81 doubles.
In game two,
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) launched her 18th home run of the season. She now leads the Northeast Conference in home runs, breaking a tie with Mount St. Mary's Rachel Heinze. If Seneca holds onto the lead, she will also hold the NEC single-season record.
Saint Francis hit five homers in second game. It marks the third time this season hitting five or more home runs in a game. They hit five and seven homers in two games against Bryant this year.
With a run in the second game,
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) scored the 95th of her career, passing Stacy Trice (1995-98) to move into fifth place all-time at SFU. Bower is four runs behind Stacy Scofield (2000-03) for fourth place.
The Red Flash concludes its regular season on Saturday against Fairleigh Dickinson, with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m.
First Game
Junior
Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) started in the circle for the Red Flash. DeVries pitched 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits, while striking out five and walking one. Junior
Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) replaced DeVries. Lauthers went 3.2 innings, giving up just one run on three hits. Fellow junior
Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) threw the final inning, allowing a home run and striking out one, but took the loss to drop to 6-8 this season.
Alex Casanas threw the first three frames for CCSU. Casanas allowed four runs on six hits, while striking out four and walking two. Emily Sargent replaced Casanas and threw four innings without giving up a hit. Sargent struck out four and walked one.
Freshmen
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois),
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and
Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) each had a double to lead the SFU offense. Junior
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) added two hits and an RBI.
The Blue Devils took a three-run lead in the top of the third. With one out, Evie Rentzel hit a three-run homer to center, also scoring Kaitlin Paterson and Eileen Purcell.
Saint Francis responded with four runs in the bottom of the third.
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) started the inning by lining a double to the wall in right center.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) followed with a double to left center to plate Cheyenne.
Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) then lined a double down the right field line to drive in Sierra. Two batters later,
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) roped a single to center as Norton came around to score. A walk drawn by
Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) put runners on 1st and 2nd and a single up the middle by
Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) loaded the bases.
Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) then worked a walk to score pinch-runner
Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough) from third and give the Red Flash a 4-3 lead.
Central Connecticut State tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Katie Schmidt hit a fly ball over the left field wall.
The Blue Devils re-took the lead in the top of the seventh. With one out, Brittany Camara hit a line drive over the wall in right field. CCSU led 5-4.
Second Game
Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) picked up her seventh win of the year with a complete-game effort in Game 2. Santai threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits and a walk, while striking out four.
The Blue Devils started Alex Casanas in the circle, who pitched two innings, giving up two runs, on three hits, with two strikeouts. Emily Sargent followed with 2.2 innings of work, allowing six runs on seven hits, while striking out one and walking one.
The Red Flash hit five home runs, with one each from
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area),
Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton),
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois),
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) and
Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry). In three at-bats, Troxell had three hits, adding a double, and scored two runs.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) contributed two hits and two runs, while driving in a run.
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) added two RBI.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) gave the Red Flash a 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the first. McKee led off the inning with an opposite-field homer to right. It was McKee's fourth dinger of the year.
The Red Flash got a leadoff homer for the second straight inning in the bottom of the second. This time,
Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) crushed a fly ball over the wall in left for her 11th bomb of the season.
Saint Francis extended its lead to 4-0 in the bottom of the third. With one out, McKee reached on an infield single. Two batters later,
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) ripped a fly ball over the centerfield fence for her 18th homer of the season.
The Red Flash added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Cabell led off the inning with a single up the middle, followed by a double to right-center by
Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) to put runners on second and third. A walk by
McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) loaded the bases. Two batters later,
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) sent a groundball through the right side to plate Cabell and Troxell to give SFU a 6-0 advantage.
Saint Francis completed the mercy-rule victory with a pair of homers in the bottom of the fifth. With one out,
Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) crushed an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left. Two batters later, Troxell blasted an opposite-field shot over the wall in right to walk-off the win.
