Flash Points:

• Saint Francis Softball split its two games on Opening Day on Friday at the Kickin' Chicken Classic, hosted by Coastal Carolina.
• The Red Flash shutout Presbyterian, 6-0, in its opener off a strong pitching performance by Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) and homers by Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) and Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry).
• SFU fell 1-0 in extra innings against Iowa State, despite a solid performance in the circle by Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan).
• The Red Flash plays Presbyterian (12 p.m.) and UNC Greensboro (7:30 p.m.) on Saturday.

CONWAY, S.C. – The No. 20 Saint Francis Softball team split its opening day of the 2018 season on Friday.  The Red Flash earned a 6-0 win over Presbyterian in game one, but fell 1-0 in eight innings against Iowa State in game two.
 
Saint Francis earned a shutout win in its season opener for the third straight season.  The Red Flash had a 6-0 win over NC Central in 2016 and a five-inning 11-0 win over UNC Wilmington in 2015.  SFU has won its last five season openers.
 
The Red Flash returns to action on Saturday with two more games.  Saint Francis takes on Presbyterian at 12 p.m. and UNC Greensboro at 7:30 p.m.  SFU concludes the Kickin' Chicken Classic at 12 p.m. on Sunday against Coastal Carolina.
 
Game 1 – Presbyterian
Sophomore Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) made her first career start and responded with a complete-game shutout.  Smith threw all seven innings, allowing just three hits and three walks, while striking out seven batters.  She allowed more than one baserunner in only two innings and retired the final eight Presbyterian batters.
 
Kaylee Allen got the start in the circle, giving up six runs on eight hits in five innings.  She struck out nine and walked three.  Camryn Alverson went one inning, striking out two and walking two.
 
Junior Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) led the Red Flash offense with two hits, a double and a homer, three runs and two RBI.  Junior Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) hit her first homer of the season.  Sophomore Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) collected two hits, while junior Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) drove in two runs.
 
Jonnie Petree led Presbyterian with two hits and Macy Hyatt added a double as the Blue Hose totaled three hits.
 
The Red Flash got on the board with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second.  After Bower drew a walk and Tayven Rousseau (Beaver, Pa./Beaver) was hit by a pitch, Marion reached on a bunt single to third to load the bases with one out.  Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was hit by a pitch to bring home Bower before Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) drew a walk to plate Rousseau.  SFU led 2-0 after two innings.
 
Saint Francis added two more runs in the bottom of the third. With one out, Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) lined a single to left and then stole second.  Bower followed with a laser to the wall in center to plate Seneca.  After Marion reached on another infield single, Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) blooped a single into left to score Bower from third.  The Red Flash held a 4-0 advantage after three innings.
 
The Red Flash extended its lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth.  With two outs, Troxell blasted a ball over the fence in left center.
 
With one out in the bottom of the fifth, Bower crushed a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center to extend SFU's lead to 6-0.
 
Game 2 – Iowa State
Sophomore Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) started in the circle in game two.  Trahan went all 7.2 innings, allowing just one run, unearned, on four hits.  She struck out seven and walked two.  Trahan allowed more than one baserunner in only two innings and retired the side in three different innings.
 
Brianna Weilbacher got the start for the Cyclones.  She fired a complete game, giving up three hits and three walks, while striking out six.
 
Senior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton), Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) each had a base hit, with McKee and Seneca each adding a stolen base.
 
Iowa State's offense was led by junior Sydney Stites' two hits.  Sophomore Sami Williams drove in a run with a base hit, while Kaila Konz added a hit.
 
With the game scoreless heading to the bottom of the eighth, Iowa State started the inning with Hannah Carter on second.  Trahan got the first two batters of the inning to pop out.  However, Stites extended the inning with an infield single to shortstop.  Williams followed with a line drive to left field, that dropped in just inside the line, to score Carter from third and end the game.
 
The Red Flash threatened to score in the top of the third.  Taylor Hoover (Phillipsburg, Ohio/Northmont) drew a leadoff walk.  Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) placed a sacrifice bunt on the right side of the infield to push pinch-runner Jordan Frank (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) to second.  Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was hit on the first pitch of her at-bat to put runners on first and second, but a popout and a groundout ended the SFU threat.
 
Saint Francis started a two-out rally in the top of the sixth.  With two down, Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) lined a single to right.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) followed with a single to center to send pinch-runner Brittney Crawford (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) to second.  However, Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum)'s line drive to resulted in a diving catch by ISU's Kaila Konz.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, the Cyclones placed runners on second and third with one out after a walk by Taylor Nearad and a single by Stites, who moved up to second on the throw back to the infield.  Williams hit a grounder to Seneca, who cut off the runner at home, which results in a run down and a tag out.  Trahan finished the inning with a strikeout.
 
Starting the eighth inning with Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) at second, Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) grounded out to second to move McKee to third.  However, a groundout to third and a lineout to the shortstop ended the inning.