Mar. 29, 2009

Monmouth Takes Game 1, Nightcap Suspended Until Monday

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Senior Kara Stroup (Valencia, Pa. / Mars) collected two hits, including a two-run home run, but the Saint Francis softball team dropped a 9-6 contest against Monmouth on Sunday afternoon. The second game of the doubleheader was suspended due to darkness and fog in the bottom of the third inning, and will resume at 10 a.m. on Monday.

The Red Flash fell to 13-17 overall and 1-2 in the Northeast Conference with the loss. The Hawks improved to 12-6 overall, and 2-1 in the league.

SFU had eight hits, but couldn’t take advantage of four Hawks errors in the first game. Seniors Kelly Slingwine (Gibsonia, Pa. / Pine Richland) and Nicole Waligora (Johnstown, Pa. / Westmont Hilltop) also had two hits each.

Monmouth had 12 hits en route to the win, and took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on RBI singles by Jessica Nicola and Alexa Ferrara.

Slingwine pulled SFU within 2-1 in the third inning with an RBI single, but the Hawks answered with two more runs in the bottom half of the frame. Stroup hit her third homer of the season in the fourth inning to make it 4-3. However, Monmouth scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to pull away.