SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior Francesca Guerrera smashed a double in the fourth inning while sophomore Alexis McFarland and junior Claire Krotine each managed singles, but fourth-seeded St. Francis ultimately proved no match for the bats of fifth-seeded Vacaville in a five-inning, 19-0 loss during the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II softball championship quarterfinal round at Schuster Field Thursday afternoon.

The Troubadours finish their season with a 17-10 record. The Bulldogs improve to 22-6 for the year. This marked the second straight year that St. Francis ended its season against the back-to-back Monticello Empire League champions.

Krotine reached on a liner to left in the first inning and moved around to third on a dropped pop-up but was stranded in place. McFarland rapped out a hit to left in the third but never advanced, as Bulldog pitcher Xochitl Atayde worked through two foul outs to end the frame.  

Facing a 10-0 deficit and needing at least one run to remove the 10-run rule from effect for the next inning, St. Francis opened the fourth with consecutive baserunners: Guerrera's drive to center for two bases, followed by a walk by sophomore relief pitcher Reese Lewis. Sophomore courtesy runner Marissa Jensen replaced Lewis at first, then both runners advanced on a wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Yet again, Atayde worked her way out of the jam with three straight outs, holding the two Troubies in place.

In fact, Atayde did not allow a ground out until the fifth inning. The San Francisco State commit struck out four batters with one walk in her three-hit shutout for Vacaville.

Meanwhile, the Bulldogs combined for 15 hits and home runs by shortstop Laila Dean, first baseman Natayla Stonebraker and left fielder Paige Witte. Stonebraker anchored the lineup with a 4-for-4 day, along with a double, four runs scored and three RBIs. She needed a triple for the cycle and managed to slice a ball down the right field line for her final hit in the fifth, but held up at first for a two-run single.

Overall, Vacaville pushed across three runs in the second, six in the third, one in the fourth, then nine in the fifth.  

St. Francis head coach Kevin Warren also allowed all seven of his active seniors to play together in the final frame. Guerrera started the game at short, while Alex Garcia went the distance at third. The other five then took the field in the fifth: Natalie Vigil to catcher, Taylor Lewis to first, Taylor Trafican to second, Kasey McAtee to right and Sorina Pometta to left.  

Guerrera, who will play for the University of Maine this fall, finished her season with a .400 average: 34-for-85 with a home run and team bests of 10 stolen bases and 11 doubles. Garcia, a Utah State commit, closed out her career with a .379/.413/.494 season and 30 RBIs in her senior year. Krotine led the Troubies with a .467 batting average and team-high 28 runs scored. McFarland gave SF three batters at .400 or better, as she finished 32 of 77 (.416). Senior pitcher Kiley Shea led the pitching staff with a 2.33 ERA and a .205 opposing batting average but injury limited her action across the final two weeks, including the SJS postseason.