TRACY, Calif. – Freshman Reese Lewis and junior Kiley Shea each posted shutouts to lead St. Francis to a Day 2 sweep in the Platinum bracket of the NFCA Nor Cal Leadoff Classic girls' softball tournament. The Troubadours blanked Los Banos, 4-0, in their Saturday opener; then defeated Orestimba by a 6-0 final in the tourney's consolation championship game.
St. Francis evens its record to 7-7 after starting the season with six straight losses.
Junior third baseman Alex Garcia hit 3-for-3 in the opener against the Tigers, with one of the three Troubie doubles. SF did most of its offensive work with two out in the first inning, with Sorina Pometta adjusting the board with a two-run single, followed by Kylee Garrett's RBI double. Claire Krotine made it 4-0 in the fifth when she reached on a bunt single, then advanced to second on an error. Garcia brought her sophomore teammate around with her two-bagger to center.
Shea, making a rare appearance as a position player against Los Banos, laced the remaining double in support of Reese Lewis, who allowed just five hits and one walk in her first Troubie shutout. She assumed the pitching circle against Orestimba, scattering six hits with two weeks and five strikeouts in her third shutout of the year.
Krotine and shortstop Francesca Guerrera each hit 2-for-3 with an RBI against the Warriors, while Garcia matched those two hits to finish 5-for-7 for the day. Krotine, Guerrera and Jazzy Basquez each doubled, although the biggest bat belonged to Hailey Strange in the fourth. With Garrett on first after an infield single, Strange turned a 2-1 pitch into a two-run dinger to left, extending the Troubies' lead to 3-0.
Strange is now the first SF varsity player with multiple homers for the year. She previously homered against Vintage back on March 25.
Meanwhile, freshman center fielder Julia Nielsen launched two home runs in the JV opener against Los Banos. She scored Jaeya Leavitt and Taylor Lewis in the top of the first, then plated Marissa Jensen and Lewis on another three-run blast in the 3rd. The St. Francis jayvees beat the same two schools as their varsity counterparts: 15-1 against Los Banos, 14-1 against Orestimba, both in four innings.
In all, Nielsen had seven RBIs against the Warriors, thanks to the two three-run shots. Oddly, she had the only two extra-base hits in the game, although Taylor Lewis, Jensen and Leavitt each had two singles. In fact, the 2-through-5 part of the Troubie batting order went a collective 9-for-14 against Orestimba.
Leavitt followed with a 4-for-4 performance against the Tigers, with a pair of doubles and two RBIs. Deanna Richardson went 3-for-3 and launched a homer to lead things off for SF in the first. Rylee Coauette added a 3-for-3 day at the plate, Jensen went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs, while Taylor Lewis chipped in a two-run double in the third.
Jensen went the distance in the pitching circle in each JV game, allowing four total hits and one earned run in the eight combined innings. She also posted strikeout totals of six and five in the two appearances.
Overall, St. Francis' JV has now won seven straight games, improving to 7-3 for the year.
The Troubies resume Delta League fashion with a pair of tough games, hosting current front-runner Franklin on Monday, then traveling to defending champion Sheldon on Wednesday.
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