COVINGTON, Va. – The Franciscan softball team dropped a pair of games to Southern Virginia, Saturday afternoon. The Lady Barons fell 9-0 in the first game before dropping the night cap, 6-5, in nine innings.

Trailing 3-2 going into the top of the sixth of the second game, the Lady Baron offense had their most productive inning of the double header and took a 4-3 lead. Kelsey Cornelio led off the frame by getting hit by pitch and Molly Clarahan came out to run for her. Freshman Anna King singled to right field to put two runners on for FUS. Sophomore Cecilia Lademan struck out but King and Clarahan were able to advance to second and third on a third-strike wild pitch. With a pair of runners in scoring position, freshman Anna Ames grounded out to first and Clarahan came home and King scored on the throw to give the Lady Barons a 4-3 lead.

The Lady Barons were able to keep the Knights off the board in the bottom of the sixth and took the lead into the seventh. After going down in order in the top of the inning, FUS headed into the bottom of the seventh with a narrow, one-run lead. Jordon Stite opened the seventh with a single up the middle for SVU and advanced to third on a pair of groundouts. Stite came around to score the tying run on a single up the middle but the Lady Barons were able to get out of the frame and force extra innings.

Cornelio reached after getting hit by a pitch with one out in the top of the eighth and eventually scored on as Lademan reached first on a Knight error to give the lead back to Franciscan, 5-4. The Knights got out of a two-on jam after hitting Ames with a pitch and trailed 5-4 going into the home half of the inning.

The Knights opened their half of the eighth with a single to left field and moved the runner to third thanks to a sacrifice and a Lady Baron error. Madisen Muse double to left field to score the game-tying run and forced a ninth inning.

Lindsey Finch was placed on second as per the International Tiebreaker Rule but the Lady Barons were unable to get her home. Stite was then placed on second for the Knights in the bottom of the ninth and came around to score on a two-base Lady Baron error to end the game, 6-5.

FUS dropped the first game 9-0 in five innings while recording one hit.

"We tell the girls that we should be getting better after each game and we definitely did that today," commented head coach James Walker. "The girls battled and kept picking each other up for all 14 innings today."

"Cecilia has improved so much as a slapper from last year and is really going to help us this year." Lademan finished the day with a pair of hits and a stolen base.

In the circle, Jordan Cunningham pitched 8.0 innings and gave up six runs, five earned, on eight hits while not surrendering a walk. "Jordan did a really great job today. She kept the ball in the strike zone and did what we needed her to do."

"Cornelio caught all 14 innings and did a nice job behind the plate today after being out for pretty much all of the off and preseason."

The Lady Barons return to the diamond tomorrow when they take on Mary Baldwin for a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.