The Saint Francis softball team split its doubleheader on Tuesday at Maryland. The Red Flash fell 6-3 in the first game, but took the second game, 7-3. SFU recorded three hits in the first game and nine in the first contest. Saint Francis is now 22-15 on the season, while Maryland is 9-25.
The Red Flash returns home this weekend to continue Northeast Conference play. SFU welcomes Central Connecticut State on Saturday for a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. On Sunday, Saint Francis hosts Fairleigh Dickinson for a Noon twinbill.
First Game
Junior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) started in the circle for SFU. DeVries threw 1.1 innings, giving up three runs, all unearned, on two hits, while walking two. DeVries also faced one batter in the fifth inning. Fellow junior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) entered with one out in the second inning and went 3.1 innings, allowing three runs on four hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Junior Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) finished the game, throwing the final inning-and-a-third, allowing two hits and a walk.
Brenna Nation pitched a complete game for Maryland. She gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits, with four strikeouts and three walks.
Freshman Melanie Martire (Herndon, Va./Herndon) led the Red Flash offense with two hits, including a double, and two RBI. Fellow rookie Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) drove in a run and scored a run, while sophomore Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) added a double.
Jordan Aughinbaugh and Sarah Calta each had two hits and drove in a run for the Terrapins.
The Terrapins took advantage of some miscues by the Red Flash in the bottom of the first. With one out, a wild pitch allowed Calta to score, who reached on a leadoff single earlier in the inning. Maryland scored a second run on a throwing error, which allowed Skylynne Ellazar to cross the plate to give the Terps a 2-0 lead.
The Red Flash got on the board in the top of the second. Cabell lined a double down the left field line to begin the inning. After an illegal pitch, Cabell moved to third. Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) drew a walk and then stole second to put runners on second and third for Troxell. The SFU freshman hit a fly ball to center to allow Cabell to cross the plate and cut the Maryland lead to 2-1.
Maryland added a run in the bottom of the second. With the bases loaded, an error allowed Aughinbaugh to score after reaching on a double earlier in the frame. Maryland led 3-1.
Saint Francis responded with a run in the top of the fourth. Troxell singled through the left side to put runners on first and second, one out, for Martire. The freshman followed with a single up the middle to plate Seneca, who had reached on a fielder’s choice. SFU cut the lead to 3-2.
Maryland scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Aughinbaugh drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk to score Ellazar. Corey Schwartz was then hit by a pitch to plate Hannah Dewey. The next batter, Calta, drew a walk to allow Kylie Datil to cross and give Maryland a 6-2 advantage.
The Red Flash got a run back in the top of the sixth. Martire lined a two-out double over the right fielder to bring home Troxell from first. Troxell reached on an error. SFU trailed 6-3.
Second Game
Junior Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) earned the win in the second game, pitching six innings in her start. Allowed two runs, only one earned, on six hits, while striking out two and walking two. Blaire Lauthers (Doylesburg, Pa./Fannett-Metal) closed out the seventh inning, giving up two hits and a run.
Hannah Dewey started in the circle for Maryland. She threw four innings, giving up five runs on six hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Madison Martin entered in the fifth and pitched 2.2 innings, allowing only one hit, while striking out three and walking one. Brenna Nation recorded the last out, with two runs, one earned, on two hits and two walks.
Bower had two hits and a run for the Red Flash. Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) doubled and drove in a run, while Melanie Martire (Herndon, Va./Herndon), Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each recorded an RBI.
Skylynne Ellazar had two hits for Maryland, with Jordan Aughinbaugh and Hannah Dewey driving in runs.
After three scoreless innings to begin game two, the Red Flash posted four runs in the top of the fourth. Alexis Bower (Cogan Station, Pa./Williamsport Area) led off the inning with a single to left and moved to second on Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton)’s groundout. Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) followed by lining a double to the gap in left-center to plate Bower. Two batters later, Melanie Martire (Herndon, Va./Herndon) was hit by a pitch to setup a two-out single to left by Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) to allow Seneca to cross the plate. Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) kept the two-out rally going with a line-drive single to right as Martire came home. The fourth run crossed on a steal play, which ended up with McKee on second and Witthus crossing the plate.
The Red Flash added three runs in the top of the fifth. Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) led off the inning with a single to left. After two-out walks drawn by Cabell and Seneca, Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) lined a single to center to score Norton. Martire then battled through a 12-pitch at-bat, sending the last pitch to the Maryland shortstop to score the pinch-runner Kelsie Marconi (Lowber, Pa./Yough). The Terps shortstop tried to make a play at second, but overthrew the bag, allowing Troxell to come home to give SFU a 7-0 lead.
The Terrapins scored their first run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out and runners on the corners, Hannah Dewey grounded out to second as Lindsey Schmeiser scored to cut the SFU advantage to 7-1.
Maryland added a run in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs and runners on first and second, a throwing error allowed pinch-runner Emma Mires to cross the plate. SFU led 7-2 after six innings.
The Terps got one more run in the bottom of the seventh. After a single by Ellazar and a double by Dewey, a groundout by Jordan Aughinbaugh scored Ellazar to cut the SFU lead to 7-3.