NAPA, Calif. – Junior corner infielders Alex Garcia and Hailey Strange launched solo homers in each end of the doubleheader, but St. Francis ultimately came away on the losing end of both contests in high school softball action at Vintage Saturday afternoon. The Troubadours lost an 11-7 slugfest to Benicia in a neutral-site tilt, then fell by an 11-1 final in five innings to the host Crushers.
St. Francis moves to 0-5 for the season.
Garcia's blast came in the second inning against Benicia, cutting into what had begun as a 4-0 start for the Panthers. Strange's bomb was the only Troubie hit in the nightcap against Vintage. With two outs in the top of the fourth, she sent the first pitch from sophomore Angie Rubalcava over the center-field fence. Unfortunately for SF, Rubalcava was masterful throughout the game, fanning five and walking no SF batters before yielding the pitching circle to freshman Noelle Rofkahr
Including Garcia's homer in the second, St. Francis piled up 11 hits in the opener against Benicia. Shortstop Kylee Garrett hit 3-for-4 with three RBI, two of which came in a four-run third. Garcia, catcher Isabella Vela and second baseman Jazzy Basquez also had two hits apiece.
Facing a 4-1 lead going into their third, the Troubies piled up four runs to claim the lead. Natalie Vigil opened the inning with a stand-up double to left center, moved to third on a Claire Krotine sacrifice, then came home on Basquez' single to left. Three batters later, Strange drove in Alexis McFarland on an RBI single, cutting the deficit to a single run at 4-3. Garcia followed with a walk to load the bases for Garrett, whose rip through the middle brought in courtesy runner Deanna Richardson and Strange, giving SF a 5-4 lead.
However, Benicia pitcher Sinead Maas got her revenge with a game-tying hit in the top of the fourth, equalizing at 5-5. Panther sophomore Ary Banks-Lockhart reclaimed her team's lead with a solo homer in the fifth, igniting a four-run rally to forge a 9-5 lead. Vela, Garcia and Garrett each earned hits to start the bottom half of the fifth, then Isabella Barge's sacrifice fly to right plated Strange as the Troubies got two runs back for a 9-7 deficit.
Benicia later tacked on insurance runs with Braxton Brown's two-run bomb to left in the sixth.
Both the Panthers and Crushers come off strong 2022 seasons in facing St. Francis. Benicia went 24-7 and won the Diablo - Athletic League Foothill Division last year, en route to a North Coast Section Division II title. Vintage went 21-4 with a first-place 11-1 mark in the Vine Valley League, and reached the semifinal of the CIF-NCS Division I draw before falling to eventual champion Heritage by a 1-0 final.
St. Francis continues non-league play for one more date: a Tuesday home doubleheader against Pioneer. Weather permitting, the start time is an unusual 4:15 p.m.
