BUFFALO, NY – The Franciscan softball team earned its second-straight Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference doubleheader split as the Lady Barons came back for a 8-5 win in the second game after dropping the first game 5-0 to D'Youville Sunday afternoon.
 
The Lady Barons used a big second inning to jump out to a 4-0 lead. Senior Anna Ames got things started as she reached on a sacrifice bunt attempt that turned into an errant throw. Freshman Jenny Massey came home from second to give Franciscan a 1-0 lead. Freshman Brittany Olsen-Graham followed with an RBI groundout to second that brought home freshman Chloe Cross. Junior Dennise Carrazco and sophomore Allyson Weiss reached on back-to-back infield errors that brought home Ames and Carrazco eventually scored on Weiss' hit.
 
With two outs in the top of the fourth, Carrazco walked and promptly stole second to get into scoring position for Weiss. Weiss then lined a ball up the middle to bring home Carrazco. Junior Kathleen Thompson followed with a walk to put runners on the corners. Thompson was able to steal second and force a throwing error that allowed Weiss to come home and give Franciscan a 6-0 lead. Freshman Rachel Cooper tripled to right to bring home Thompson and push the lead to 7-0.
 
Freshman pitcher Sarah Keating was able to work out of trouble in the bottom of the fourth after give up a lead-off double. She got the next batter to line out and forced a pop up. With two outs, the next Spartan singled to left to put runners on the corners. Keating induced a groundout to short that got the lead runner to get out of the inning.
 
The Spartans got one run back in the bottom of the fifth but Franciscan answered with a run in the top of the sixth thanks to a fielding error that brought home Carrazco.
 
After a 1-2-3 sixth for D'Youville and a 1-2-3 seventh for Franciscan, D'Youville mounted a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Down to their final out and the bases loaded, M Meyer doubled to center field and cleared the bases to cut the lead to 8-4. Keating finished off the game with a ground out to seal her eighth win of the year.
 
Franciscan was held scoreless in the first game for just the second time this season. Franciscan posted three hits in the game. The Lady Barons had two runners on in the top of the fifth but couldn't get the big hit they needed to score.
 
All of the Spartans came in the bottom of the third when D'Youville score five runs on six hits and a Lady Baron error.
 
Franciscan returns home on Wednesday when the Lady Barons host Penn St.-Altoona in an AMCC doubleheader at 3:00 pm.