ROSEVILLE, Calif. – Sophomore left fielder Kylee Garrett hit 2-for-3 with a double and a triple, while junior pitcher Kiley Shea went the distance against a tough lineup as St. Francis claimed a 2-1 win over Woodcreek in the varsity end of a non-league prep softball doubleheader at Mahany Park Monday.

The Troubadours improve to 11-10 for the season. The Timberwolves slip to 13-7-1. 

Shea scattered five hits with just the one earned run with two walks and five strikeouts in seven complete innings. Her pitching line is even more impressive considering Woodcreek's team offensive numbers: a .329/.404/.457 slash line with 50 extra-base hits in the first 20 games. Furthermore, the T-Wolves 2-through-5 part of the order batted 0-for-9 with three strikeouts for the afternoon.

Both teams locked up in a scoreless battle for the first three innings, although each side challenged to get on the board in the early going. The Troubies had runners at the corners in the second, thanks to Garrett's one-out double to left. However, Woodcreek righty Sydney Wilkins escaped with a strikeout and a fly out. T-Wolf center fielder Maliyah Lawson laced a triple to right in the bottom half of the third – her fourth of the year. But she remained stranded there as Shea recorded a strikeout and foul pop-up on the No. 2 and 3 batters in the Woodcreek lineup.

The Troubies got to the scoreboard first, this time on a sacrifice fly by Reese Lewis in the fourth. Alex Garcia led off the inning with a first-pitch single, then Hailey Strange put two in scoring position with her double to left. Garrett delivered a hard shot that went straight to Lawson in center, freezing both runners. Instead, Lewis sliced a deep fly to the corner in right. Junior Kaylee Kolhoff chased it down to retire Lewis, but both SF runners early moved up 60 feet.

That lead proved short-lived for St. Francis, as Sophie Pelzman launched an RBI double to center in the T-Wolves' bottom half, scoring shortstop Mary Zepeda for the equalizer. Nonetheless, the Troubies reclaimed the lead in the fifth, capitalizing on two errors. Troubie senior Jazzy Basquez reached on a dropped fly in right center, then had Taylor Richardson run in her place. Richardson moved up 60 feet on each of two ground balls. The go-ahead run came in when left-handed Claire Krotine slapped a grounder to the left side of a drawn-in infield. WHS third baseman Chloe Preuss could not corral the ball on its second hop, allowing Richardson to cross home plate without a challenge.

St. Francis had an opportunity to provide insurance runs for Shea, with Garrett legging out a stand-up triple with one out in the sixth. She was stranded at that base, but it did not matter for the Troubies: Shea coaxed two pop outs in the fifth, with only a Lawson bunt single putting a runner on. She faced the bottom of the Woodcreek order in the sixth, getting two more punchouts and a harmless foul out. 

In the seventh, pinch hitter Darcy Miller led off with a single to represent a potential game-tying run. Instead, Lewis, Basquez and Garcia teamed up on a rare 3-4-5 double play on Woodcreek's attempt to move Darcy Miller on a sacrifice bunt. With the bases clear, Shea focused on retiring Lawson, a dangerous hitter who entered the game with a .500 average and a 1.244 OPS. Lawson grounded out harmlessly to Francesca Guerrera to close out the win.

Monday marks the fourth time of five meetings during the last 16 years that the Troubadours and T-Wolves have played to a one-run game. Lizzie Yoshida fired a three-hitter for St. Francis for a 1-0 shutout at the 2007 Tournament of Champions. Woodcreek walked off a 3-2 victory in the eighth during the 2008 Victory Preseason tourney. Then the Timberwolves held on for a wild 14-13 upset in the first round of the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II tourney in 2019.

Meanwhile on Monday, Woodcreek pulled away from an early 4-4 tie to beat St. Francis by a 9-4 final on the junior varsity diamond. Shortstop Deanna Richardson and first baseman Addison Hutchcraft each hit 3-for-3, helping the Troubies craft a 4-1 lead in the third. But the Timberwolves got three runs back in the bottom of the third, while Madilyn Mendoza's RBI triple sparked a five-run fifth.

St. Francis continues non-league road action on Wednesday with a 4 p.m. doubleheader at Vista Del Lago. The defending Division III champions also own a particularly potent offense: a .337/.405/.440 line leading to a 20-2 overall record and a No. 6 section ranking by MaxPreps.