DAVIS, Calif. – Senior right-hander Hope Jenkins struck out 15 batters in a one-hit shutout while twin sister and center fielder Grace Jenkins hit 3-for-4 with a double and two-run triple, leading St. Francis to a 3-0 win over Davis in the varsity half of a Delta League softball doubleheader Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, freshman Rylee Coauette shut the door with two shutout innings to help the Troubadour junior varsity hold on to an 8-5 win on the opposite diamond, completing the sweep over the Blue Devils. The varsity improves to 8-1 for the year while the jayvees move up to 7-1 overall.
Hope Jenkins and third baseman Kayla Garber also added a single and a double at the plate, but it was Grace Jenkins' power that put up the only runs on the board in the varsity game. Designated player Amy Abueg and second baseman Kylee Garrett led off the contest with consecutive singles, then Grace Jenkins cleared the bases with her three-bagger. The Conn-bound catcher/outfielder than scored on her own on a ground out before Davis could escape the frame.
Then on the defensive side, Hope Jenkins handled each of the first 15 outs herself: 14 by strikeout plus one comebacker that she flipped to Alex Garcia for the first out in the third. Davis managed just one runner in scoring position, when Naomi Kalanetra rapped a hard single to center then promptly swiped second. However, the next two Blue Devils went down swinging to protect the shutout.
Jenkins' 15 strikeouts increases her season total to 108 in just 55 innings. The shutout also lowers her season ERA to 0.89.
On the JV side, St. Francis scored two in the first, two in the third and three in the fifth to craft a 7-1 lead heading into the bottom half of the fifth, before Davis rallied for four to cut the deficit to just 7-5. Coauette entered in relief of Taylor Trafican in the sixth and used just 18 pitches to record the six outs en route to the save.
In the top of the seventh, second baseman Taylor Lewis plated Haley Strange on an RBI single for an insurance run, bringing the final to 8-5.
Strange hit 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and four runs scored to lead the Troubies offensively. Catcher Natalie Vigil added a double at the plate and pickoff at third in the fourth. Trafican also doubled in the third to help her cause in the pitching circle.
St. Francis returns home to host Laguna Creek on Friday. Both varsity and JV begin at 4 p.m.
