Palo Alto, Calif. - The Red Flash softball team dropped two games on Saturday losing 10-2 to Pacific and 8-0 to Stanford.

Game One Recap

Pacific batted first and scored five runs to strike first. Rachel Marsden (Erie, Pa./McDowell) started in the circle and obtained two quick outs. But Pacific hit a drifting double to launch a barrage of hitting that led to the outburst. Three singles and a walk led to a 3-0 lead. Pacific then pulled off the double steal to make it 4-0. A second double made the score 5-0 and forced Marsden from the game. Christina Clark (Avon, Ohio/Avon High School) entered the circle for the Red Flash. Despite the bases being loaded, SFU escaped without yielding any runs.

The Red Flash scored in the bottom of the second inning after Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) doubled and Ashley Wruble (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic) and Brittney Crawford (Canonsburg, Pa./Canon McMillan) walked to load the bases. Emily Nunez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma ) strolled to the plate and in front of family and friends clubbed her first ever collegiate hit: a sharp single to center field to score two runs. Those RBIs were the first RBIs of her collegiate career. SFU was unable to add on but the deficit was cut to 5-2.

Pacific scored one run in the top of the third inning by stealing home for the second time. In the fourth inning, Pacific tallied again on a solo home run. SFU was unable to score in response.

In the top of the fifth inning, the Tigers scored again after a single, double, and a walk loaded the bases. A hit by pitch gave Pacific an 8-2 advantage. Clark obtained the third out on a sweet catch of a line drive right back at her.

Meadow Uncapher (Mount Pleasant, Pa./Mount Pleasant High School) entered the circle at the beginning of the sixth inning and gave up a run after the leadoff hitter reached on an error and scored on a single. Pacific finished off the scoring at 10-2 after singling three times and working a base on balls to walk in the final run. The Red Flash had Nunez record her third hit in the bottom of the seventh inning but she was thrown out to end the game.

Game Two Recap

Grace Vesco ( Uniontown, Ohio/North Canton Hoover) started in the circle for the Red Flash.  She appeared to obtain the first out of the inning but the umpire called an illegal pitch. Granted new life, the batter then walked. An apparent strike three was called a ball and the next pitch was batted into center field for the first run. A stolen base followed and another single led to a 2-0 lead. A single and a walk loaded the bases. A third walk scored the third run. A lineout to Lauren Aubry (Marengo, Illinois/Marengo) in right field was the third out but Stanford had the early 3-0 advantage.

Neither team scored for the next few innings as both pitchers only allowed scattered hits. Ashley Wruble (DuBois, Pa./DuBois Central Catholic), Mekenzie Saban (Pittsburgh, Pa./North Hills), and Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) all reached base but the Red Flash could not bunch their hits together.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Stanford struck for another run. An error by Rachel Marsden (Erie, Pa./McDowell) set the stage. Two stolen bases followed and a RBI grounder provided the Cardinal with a 4-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth inning, Emily Nunez (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Alta Loma ) singled and Lauren Aubry (Marengo, Illinois/Marengo) collected her first collegiate hit with a sharp single to left field but a double play ended the inning.

Stanford ended the game in the bottom of the fifth inning by scoring four runs to invoke the run rule. A double to left center scored two runs. A walk and a wild pitch advanced the runners. A RBI grounder scored the seventh run. A single went past the glove of a diving Nunez and the resulting run ended the contest at 8-0.

Up Next

The Red Flash conclude the Demarini Invitation tomorrow versus Pacific at 10 a.m.