BOX SCORE 1 | BOX SCORE 2 Buies Creek, N.C. – The Saint Francis University softball team went 1-1 on the first day of the Fairfield Inn & Suites Invitational, defeating North Carolina Central 6-0 before falling to Campbell 7-5 on a seventh inning walk-off home run.
 
Coach Patrick-Swift's Reaction
"There were a lot of positives to draw from for the first day of games," said head coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift. "Offensively, we did a lot of good things, but we left too many runners stranded. In the second game, we got beat by Campbell's two best players. The good news is that we get to face them two more times this week, so we will learn from today and get ready for tomorrow."
 
The Red Flash cruised in the opener behind the right arm of senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) (Forreston, Ill.), who struck out 10 and allowed just one hit over five innings.
 
Sophomore Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) (DuBois, Pa.) gave Saint Francis an early lead in the first inning with a three-run triple high off the wall in center field.
 
The score line remained 3-0 into the bottom of the sixth inning when junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) (Plum, Pa.), who just missed a home run in her previous at-bat, connected for a two-run home run with a long fly to left field.
 
Junior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) (Ivor, Va.) closed out the scoring with an rbi single later in the frame.
 
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) (Pine Grove, Pa.) worked the final two innings without giving up a hit to collect her first save of the season.
 
Saint Francis outhit North Carolina Central 8-1 as Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) (DuBois, Pa.) led the way with two hits. DeVries and Santai combined for 13 strikeouts.
 
The game between Campbell and Saint Francis was a back-and-forth battle. Saint Francis took the lead in the first inning thanks to hits from Seneca and sophomore Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) (Spring Grove, Pa.).
 
The Fighting Camels took their first lead in the third inning on a three-run home run from Rachel McCollum.
 
As was the theme throughout the course of the game, Saint Francis would battle back. Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) (DuBois, Pa.) led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a walk and moved to third on a long double by Norton. She would come in to score on a sac fly from Cabell. Sophomore Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) (Navarre, Ohio) tied the game two batters later with a sharp single through the left side, then McKenzie Burge (Osceola Mills, Pa./Phillipsburg-Osceola) (Osceola Mills, Pa.), who doubled in her first at-bat, gave the Red Flash the lead with a sac fly to right.
 
McCollum again got the best of freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) (Kaplan, La.), who was otherwise stout in her first career start, this time with a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to put Campbell back in front 5-4.
 
Saint Francis was down to its last out in the seventh, but Troxell delivered with a clutch game-tying single to right center. Cabell started the rally with a double down the right field line.
 
DeVries replaced Trahan in the seventh inning. After getting the first out, the Red Flash elected to walk McCollum, who had all five Campbell rbi. Amanda Schisler responded with a walk-off home run to left field to hand Saint Francis its first loss of the season.

Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois), Cabell and Norton led Saint Francis with three hits each, while McKee recorded a team-high three rbi. Cabell, Troxell and Seneca all had two rbi.
 
The Red Flash pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts, while Saint Francis hitters only struck out six times. Trahan had seven strikeouts in six innings in her collegiate debut.