TUCSON, Ariz. -- The University of St. Francis softball team finished it 12-game, seven-day trip to Arizona with two wins and a loss on Saturday afternoon.  After getting rained out on Friday, USF picked up a third game to close out the week competing against Ottawa University (Ariz.), Dakota Wesleyan University (S.D.) and Valley City State University (N.D.).  The Fighting Saints (5-10) opened the day with 3-2 and 7-2 victories over Ottawa and Dakota Wesleyan, respectively, before dropping its final game to Valley City State 8-7.

Emily Hurst and Rose Mwaro were the big hitters on the afternoon with Hurst going 6-for-12 with four runs batted in and Mwaro driving home three runs on six hits and scoring two times.  Also collecting at least one hit in each game were Isabella Landeros (4-for-12, three runs, 1 RBI) and Jaelynn Taylor (4 hits, 1 RBI).

Game 1: USF 3, Ottawa 2
The Saints built a 2-0 lead after two innings, but Ottawa (15-4) rallied to tie the score at 2-2 with one run in each of the third and fourth innings.  St. Francis would respond by plating one more runner in the fifth before Kiersten Manning held down the fort in the circle with three scoreless frames to close out the game.

USF's two runs came in the second inning on RBIs from Kylie Cook (groundout) and Hailey Kaddatz (single).  The final USF run came in the fifth after a hard hit ball off the bat of Mwaro would plate Jillian Zodrow would earlier reached base with a lead off base hit.  The Spirit did put a runner on second base in both the fifth and seventh innings, but Manning was able to thwart each of those rallies with fly outs to left field.

Manning (3-4) took credit for her third win of the year in the complete game outing.  She would give up just one earned run while striking out one.

Game 2: USF 7, Dakota Wesleyan 2
After scoring the first four runs of the game off eight hits, the USF pitching staff allowed just three singles over the course of those five innings before Dakota Wesleyan (14-5) broke through with a two-run, four-hit sixth inning to mark the score at 4-2.  The Saints countered, however, by delivering four hits in the seventh to add a trio of insurance runs in the seventh inning secure the 7-2 victory.

Zodrow drove in Cook and Mwaro for USF's two runs with a two-out double in the second inning, while Hurst and Mwaro came through with RBI base knocks to plate two more Saints in the fifth.  Landeros and Taylor provided one RBI apiece in the final frame, with Zodrow taking credit for the last RBI after coaxing a bases-loaded walk.

The Saints collected seven hits in the contest, with Cook being the only Saint to record more than one hit.  Emily Boyle (2-4) went the distance for St. Francis in the circle, collecting her second win of the season while striking out a career-high 11 hitters against zero walks.

Game 3: Valley City State 8, USF 7
Fans witnessed an offensive outbreak in the last game of the day, as the two teams combined for a total of 27 hits and 15 runs in the contest.

Eight out of nine batters in the St. Francis lineup recorded a hit in the game with four producing multiple hits. Three players also drove in at least one run leading to the Saints opening up a 7-5 lead after the first four innings.  Extra base hits from the Vikings (7-8) would haunt USF in the final three innings, however, with Valley City State claiming the 8-7 win.

Chylece Cluck and Hurst authored the most hits for St. Francis, with each player collecting three and the latter connecting for her second home run of the season.  Landeros (2-for-4) and Mwaro (2-for-4, 2 RBIs) also delivered multi-hit games as part of 13 total for USF.

Manning was the benefactor of the St. Francis' offensive outburst in the circle but was unable to close the game out, dropping her record to 3-5 on the season.

Up Next
The Saints will travel to take on Missouri Baptist University on Friday, March 14 with  the first game of the double header beginning at 2 pm.

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