BOX SCORE 1 |
BOX SCORE 2 Waco, Texas - The Saint Francis softball team (9-3) bounced back from a morning loss to SIU-Edwardsville with a win over UMass to earn a split on the first day of the Baylor Invitational.
Game One
The Red Flash saw itself in an early hole as SIU-Edwardsville (9-2) plated three runs in the opening inning. A throwing error in the second inning allowed two more Cougar runs to score and build a 5-0 lead after two complete.
Saint Francis responded with a two-out rally in the third inning to climb back into the game. Junior
Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) delivered a two-out single up the box to score a run and sophomore
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) doubled off the wall in left to bring in two more.
A run for the Cougars in the fourth inning pushed the deficit back up to three, but Saint Francis answered with a three-run fifth inning to tie the score.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was once again in the thick of the action with her second two-run double of the game to make the score 6-5. After the Saint Francis inning was kept alive by an illegal pitch, senior
Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough) delivered the game-tying hit with a sharp single to shortstop.
SIU-Edwardsville waited just one batter to retake the lead as Kalei Kaneshiro led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a solo shot off starter
Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan). The Cougars notched its final run later in the inning.
Saint Francis pieced together one final rally in the sixth as
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was hit by a pitch for the third time in the game and sophomore
Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) reached on a throwing error. However, Cabell struck out and
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) popped out to end the threat.
Trahan (4-1) was dealt her first loss on the season. Junior
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) (Plum, Pa.) reached base twice and scored two runs.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) tied her career-high with four rbi.
Game Two
UMass opened the scoring with a run on two hits in the top of the first inning but
Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) made sure it was short-lived with a leadoff homer in the bottom half of the inning.
Freshman
Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) picked a good time for her first career hit, breaking the 1-1 deadlock in the third inning with a long fly off the top of the wall in left center to drive in two runs and put the Red Flash ahead 3-1.
Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) made sure Smith's hit would stand up by going the distance to earn her third win of the season.
Santai (3-0) ran into trouble in the sixth when UMass opened the frame with back-to-back bunt singles. After a sac bunt moved the tying-run into scoring position, Santi induced a grounder to junior
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) at shortstop who fielded it cleanly and threw home to get the runner breaking for home in a rundown. Senior
Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) applied the tag on the play. Santai pulled the string with a nasty change-up to strike out the next batter and escape the jam.
More sterling defense from Saint Francis in the seventh inning closed out the victory. After the leadoff hitter reached base, Seneca turned an unassisted double play on a grounder up the middle.
Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) closed the game with a sliding catch in center, her second of the day.
Up Next
The Red Flash take on No. 24 Baylor at 11 a.m. ET (10 a.m. CT) tomorrow. Its second game will be dependent on results.
