ELK GROVE, Calif. – Sophomore Taylor Trafican fired seven innings of scoreless relief, then delivered one of three extra-base hits in the late innings to help St. Francis recover from a 5-0 hole to claim a 9-5 win over Sheldon in a Delta League junior varsity softball game Monday afternoon.
The Troubadours improve to 12-5-1 overall, snapping a four-game winless streak. This contest was originally scheduled for last Thursday but was postponed to Monday due to the unavailability of players on the previous date.
St. Francis came back with one run in the second, tied the game at 5-5 by the middle of the sixth, then tacked on four runs in the top of the eighth to complete the comeback. Meanwhile, Trafican struck out nine batters and worked her way out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the seventh.
Sorina Pometta and Trafican hit back-to-back doubles in the four-run sixth. Natalie Vigil, who tripled in the top of the first, scored the equalizer in the sixth after reaching on a single. Vigil then crossed as the go-ahead run in the eighth. She reached on a force after Trafican's leadoff single. Sydney Hucik followed with a triple, then Taylor Lewis, Riley Couaette, Addison Hutchcraft and Lexi Salmons hit four straight to continue the rally.
Trafican got in trouble in the seven when Sheldon's Reyna Ozuna led off with a walk, stole second, then moved up on Brianna Lewis' single. Trafican hit Chyrstina Bellejos to load the bases, but struck out two other Husky batters in escaping the situation. This kept the score tied at 5-5, setting the stage for the Troubies' onslaught in the eighth.
St. Francis JV rejoins with the varsity for a home doubleheader against Pleasant Grove on Tuesday. This is the regular-season home finale for both Troubie teams. The afternoon will also feature the annual softball Booster-Q barbecue, plus hundreds of students are expected to attend to contribute to an "acoustic study" toward the school's on-campus aquatics facility campaign.
