SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Senior shortstop Francesca Guerrera hit 3-for-3 with two runs, a double, three RBIs and one of her team's "web gem" defensive plays, leading St. Francis to a five-inning, 13-3 win over Davis in the varsity end of a Delta League softball doubleheader at Schuster Field Wednesday.

The Troubadours improve to 14-7 overall and 6-3 in league play, keeping them in a tie for third with Sheldon in the standings.

Guerrera was one of three SF players with multi-hit games: junior right fielder Claire Krotine hit 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while senior third baseman Alex Garcia went 2-for-3 with two runs, two RBIs and a walk. Freshman Kinsley Imm fired 2.0 innings of scoreless relief in place of starter Reese Lewis. Guerrera also had the first highlight-reel defensive play for the Troubies. She made a diving stop on a hard bounder in the hole against Sofia Lester, then managed to fire an accurate throw to first baseman Kasey McAtee from one knee.

Outfielders Kylee Garrett and Alexis McFarland also made diving plays in the fifth. Garrett snared a ball down the left-field line to rob Cloe Lamoureux of a hit to start the inning. Just three pitches later, Blue Devil senior Hannah Fox ripped a line drive through the middle, only to have McFarland pounce on it for the second out. Catcher Naomi Kalanetra sent another ball in similar fashion to Lamoereaux's drive. Garrett's dive came up short, but when Kalanetra attempted to stretch her double to a triple, Garrett gunned down the UC Davis commit at third.

While St. Francis came up with defensive heroics, it was some defensive miscues that doomed Davis late in the game. The Blue Devils committed four errors, plus a catcher's interference and a baserunner obstruction, to help the Troubies pile up 13 runs despite just nine hits.

The two teams traded blows early in the game, with the Blue Devils pushing across an unearned run in the first on a wild double play throw. But McFarland led off the bottom half with a double, Krotine beat out a perfect bunt to put runners on the corners, then Garcia plated McFarland with a single to left. Krotine later swiped third, then Guerrera punched a single to center to increase the SF lead to 2-1. Garcia increased the lead to 3-1 when she took home on a double steal.

Davis' Lamoureux sisters – shortstop Cloe and center fielder Lea - each had hits in the top of the second to halve the lead to 3-2. Then a wild pitch appeared to have scored two runs to put the Blue Devils back on top. Maya Frank beat Lewis covering the plate for the equalizer run, but when the throw eluded the sophomore pitcher, Cloe Lamoureux came around in attempt to score from second. She was ruled to have missed home plate, ending the rally and allowing SF to go to bat with a 3-3 tie instead of a 4-3 deficit.

The bottom half of that second proved just as wild. Davis freshman starter Kaytlin Lebar-Triepke retired the first two Troubies without incident, but she hit McFarland with a bounced pitch. McFarland quickly stole second without contest, as the fielder impeded her path to the base. Then Krotine's swing caught Kalanetra's left hand so firmly that it actually knocked the catcher's mitt into fair territory. While Krotine was put out on the play, the catcher's interference allowed St. Francis to wipe the out and send its right fielder back to the plate. With a new life at bat, Krotine landed a flare to right field for a hit. Davis right fielder Kylie Yao threw out Krotine attempting to stretch, but McFarland scored in time to give the Troubies a 4-3 lead through two frames.

Davis failed to score again after the initial fireworks, despite doubles by Kalanetra, Lester and Kalanetra again in the third, fourth and fifth innings. Meanwhile, St. Francis extended its lead on the back of Blue Devil fielding woes. A dropped pop-up with two outs allowed Guerrera and pinch runner Sorina Pometta to score in the fourth, extending the margin to 6-3. Back-to-back miscues in the fifth put two runners in scoring position for Guerrera, who ripped a 2-0 pitch to center for a two-run double. Guerrera later scored when McAtee belted a hard single to left.

The defensive struggles continued after consecutive walks by pinch hitter Taylor Lewis and McFarland loaded the bases. Krotine hit a hard grounder to the second baseman Fox, who opted to fire home to force the lead runner. Fox's throw was in time and on target, but the catcher Kalanetra was ruled to have never actually touched the plate. That run set the board at 12-3, and kept the bases loaded. Garcia finished off the game with a hit to left, scoring Taylor Lewis and invoking the mercy rule.

Wednesday's win over the Blue Devils evened the season series, as Davis had clipped the Troubies in extra innings back on April 3.

Meanwhile, SF and Davis played to a 3-3 tie on the junior varsity diamond. Marissa Jensen hit 3-for-3 with two triples, Haydyn Haecker and Lillian Desmond each went 2-for-3 at the plate. Jensen's second triple scored Haecker to give the Troubies a 3-1 lead in the third. That score held up until the Blue Devils rallied for two in the seventh.

Desmond led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single but was doubled up off first trying to retouch on a pop fly. Briannah Licciani, who started the game-tying rally in the top half, finished off the Troubies in the bottom of the seventh to salvage the tie.

Nonetheless, a 3-3 tie marks a massive improvement for the SF jayvees, which suffered an 11-2 drubbing against Davis in the first meeting.

Both teams continue Delta League play with a road doubleheader at Cosumnes Oaks on Friday. Game times are both 4 p.m.