SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Sophomore Kinsley Imm launched a two-out grand slam in the bottom of the seventh, but that rally failed to erase the five-run deficit heading into the frame, as St. Francis fell to former Delta League rival Sheldon, 5-4, in varsity prep softball action at Schuster Field Tuesday.

The Troubadours slip to 1-4 for the year.

Imm's blast against Huskies' reliever Micah Kennedy with Ariella Alcantar, Jaeya Leavitt and Alexis McFarland on base. Alcantar led off the seventh with a walk, Leavitt grounded into an error, then McFarland jammed the bases with a base hit to center. Imm fell behind by an 0-2 count, putting her in danger of becoming the third SF strikeout victim of the inning. Instead, she drew two balls and fouled off a couple of pitches before clearing the bases with her first homer of the year.

Unfortunately, Sheldon had amassed a 5-0 lead by that point. Kennedy, Kwinci Brown and Lela Heleta each homered in the sixth as part of a 4-0 rally, then senior shortstop Madison Chapman bounced an RBI single to left in the seventh. Leavitt initiated a double play prior the Chapman's hit, but Makayla Keseloff made it to third in the process. Chapman rapped a hard grounder well out of reach of SF third baseman Kylee Garrett to easily bring in Keseloff.

That extra run in the seventh proved the difference despite Imm's batting heroics in the bottom half, as Kennedy wrapped up her own relief win.

Imm worked her way to five scoreless innings before getting into trouble in that sixth. She enjoyed some defensive help in the third when Chapman lined out to senior right fielder Claire Krotine. The Santa Clara commit then had an easy throw to Reese Lewis at first to double up the retreating Nicole Camacho-Vasquez, who had reached on a single in the previous at-bat.

Meanwhile, Brown also held the Troubies scoreless in her four innings as Sheldon's starter. She escaped a jam in the third, when Garrett was hit by a full-count pitch to lead off, then Lewis drove a hard single to right. An infield fly and a force out at third held St. Francis at bay before a passed ball put pinch runner Jocelyn Villaflor and Krotine in scoring position. McFarland walked to load the bases, but Heleta coaxed a ground ball to sophomore Ella Crotzer for the third out.

St. Francis returns to action for a road game at Pioneer on Thursday, the program's last before beginning its first season of Sierra Foothill League play. First pitch is 3:30 p.m. in Woodland.