SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior left fielder Amy Abueg hit two extra-base hits, pitcher Hope Jenkins hit 2-for-3 and third baseman Kayla Garber drove in a pair of runs, but two early Sheldon home runs ultimately doomed St. Francis to a 7-3 loss to the visiting Huskies in the varsity half of a Delta League softball doubleheader at Schuster Field Tuesday afternoon.

 

Meanwhile, on the opposite diamond, left fielder Hailey Strange hit 4-for-5 with a triple and a two-run walk-off hit in the eighth to boost the Troubadours to a 10-9 victory over the Huskies in the junior varsity half of the twinbill.

 

The SFHS varsity has its win streak snapped at seven by the perennial area powerhouse, sliding to 11-2 for the year and 3-1 in Delta League play. The Troubie JV improves to 10-2 overall.

 

Sheldon held a 2-0 lead in the first and a 5-1 lead by the middle of the second, as senior and future University of Arizona Wildcat Dakota Kennedy launched a first-pitch solo shot to lead off the game, then slammed a three-run blast to straight away center with one out in the second. Abueg doubled on a 2-0 pitch then later scored to put St. Francis on the board in the first.

 

The Troubies whittled at the deficit with runs in the third and fifth frames. Abueg hit a blooper down the right-field line that took a friendly bounce toward the fence, and her speed allowed her to circle around for a 75-foot triple. Kylee Garrett and Hope Jenkins each walked to load the bases, the Garber was hit by pitch to bring Abueg across. Then in the fifth, Alex Garcia doubled to the right-center gap, then came around to score when Garber dropped a flare down the right-field line that managed to stay fair. This RBI cut Sheldon's margin to 5-3.

 

The Huskies answered with two runs in the sixth. Imani Black pounded a double to right-center, scoring Kennedy. Then Black came around to score on D'Auna Johnson's bloop single to right, extended the Husky lead back to four. Fortunately for the Troubies, a diving catch by Abueg on a hard-hit Sakora Harvell line drive ended the rally.

 

St. Francis managed to threaten in its seventh, with Grace Jenkins battling her way to a walk, then Hope Jenkins barreling a single. However, senior pitcher Breanna Romero retired the next three Troubies in order, stranding the Jenkins twins at first and second.

 

The JV game played it out in more dramatic fashion, with the two teams locking up with ties of 2-2, 5-5 and 8-8, plus pushing across runs in their respective halves of the eighth. Besides Strange's four hits, Sorina Pometta hit 3-for-5 with a triple, and Taylor Trafican hit a single and a triple while pitching in relief of Rylee Coauette.

 

Sheldon scored two runs on a two-out rally in the first to take a 2-0 lead. Pometta's led off the first with a triple then scored on a Trafican fielder's choice to cut the margin to 2-1, then Sydney Hucik's leadoff single in the second developed into the equalizer at 2-2.

 

The Huskies reclaimed the lead with a run in the third, but the damage could have been worse: a rundown with the pitcher Coauette, the third baseman Trafican and catcher Natalie Vigil prevented more runs from scoring. Still, Sheldon extended their advantage to 5-2 in the fourth, with Madison Chapman's triple bringing in both runs.

 

St. Francis tied the contest yet again with Trafican and Strange hitting consecutive triples as part of a three-run fifth, evening the score to 5-5. Then both teams traded three-run sixth innings, with Pometta, Trafican and Strange hitting three straight singles to highlight the Troubie outburst.

 

Moving into the eight, Sheldon came back out on top when M.J. Vasquez sent a soft line drive toward right into the empty area behind SF first baseman Addison Hutchcraft but well out of reach of right fielder Lexi Salmons. She later scored on a Graciela Medrano single to roughly the same location. Trafican coaxed a pop-up to Pometta to escape the inning.

 

In the bottom of that eighth, Pometta singled and Trafican walked to start the action. A double steal put the two sophomores in scoring position. This set the stage for Strange, who dropped a bloop hit to the same spot that Sheldon exploited in its half. Pometta came around for the tying run, then Trafican followed just behind for the game-winning run. 

 

Tuesday's action marked the fourth in a run of six straight dates against Elk Grove-based schools. Both St. Francis teams head to Pleasant Grove for more Delta League play on Thursday. Game times are both 4 p.m.