ERIE, PA – After making the tournament for the second time in program history, the Franciscan softball team is making the most of their chance to play for a conference crown as the Lady Barons swept the first day of games. Franciscan defeated D'Youville 2-1 in the first game before taking down top-seed and host, Penn State Behrend 7-5 in the final game of the day.
 
Freshman pitcher Sarah Keating (Wadsworth, OH/Wadsworth) was nothing short of stellar in the circle for Franciscan as she pitched two complete-game wins on day one. Keating allowed just one unearned run against D'Youville before surviving a late game rally from the Lions for her second win of the day.
 
D'Youville struck first in the opening game with a sacrifice fly in the first but the one-run lead wouldn't hold for very long. Sophomore Allyson Weiss (Greenwood, IN/Lumen Christi Catholic) showcased her speed in the very first inning. Weiss led off with a single to right center and promptly stole second. After the Spartans got an out on the infield, Weiss stole third to get into easy scoring position for freshman Rachel Cooper (Steubenville, OH/Indian Creek). Cooper laid down a near-perfect squeeze bunt and reached first and Weiss slid under the tag to tie the game 1-1.
 
The score would remain tied for the next three innings as Keating allowed just three base runners after the first for the rest of the game.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Weiss led off the frame with a triple to left center and came home as junior Kathleen Thompson (Huntingtown, MD/Huntingtown) put down the squeeze and brought home Weiss and reached first safely.
 
The two runs would be all that the Lady Barons would need as Keating gave up a lead-off single in the top of the seventh and after a sac bunt, got a pop up and then finished off the game with a come backer that she tossed to first baseman freshman Anna Swierczewski (Pittsburgh, PA/Saint Joseph) for the final out and her 13^th complete-game win of the year.
 
Franciscan showcased its offensive power in the second game as they defeated Penn State Behrend for the first time in program history.
 
After both pitchers put up zeros in the first inning, Franciscan struck first in the top of the second. Senior Anna Ames (Chatham, NJ/Mount Saint Mary Academy) grounded out with runners on second and third to bring home Swierczewski for the 1-0 lead. Freshman Mary Roach (Colorado Springs, CO/College Pathways) followed with a single to center to allow freshman Jenny Massey (Lakeside, CA/Academy of Our Lady of Peace) to come home and give the Lady Barons a 2-0 lead.
 
Keating left two runners stranded in the bottom of the second and Franciscan tacked on another run in the top of the third as Weiss came home on a wild pitch after doubling and moving over to third thanks to a sac bunt from Thompson.
 
The Lions got a pair back in the bottom of the third with a pair of hits and a Lady Baron error but the offense picked it up with two runs on five hits in the fifth and two runs on two hits and a Behrend error in the sixth to take a 7-2 lead with an inning and a half to play.
 
Keating allowed a one-out single in the sixth but got a pair of pop ups to the left side of the infield to keep the five-run lead.
 
After Franciscan went down in order in the top of the seventh, the Lions showed they weren't going quietly in the bottom of the inning. Keating got the first batter with a ground out back to her but the Lions strung together three-straight singles and a double to score three and cut the lead to 7-5. Keating got the pinch hitter to ground out but Alayna Derzak moved over to third on the put out. With the tying run at the plate, two outs, and a full count, Cooper tracked down and squeezed the game's final out in center for Franciscan's second win of the tournament.
 
Weiss was a home run away from a cycle in the second game and went 5-7 for the day. Swierczewski finished the day with four hits.
 
Keating allowed just one walk in 13 innings of work while giving up six runs, just four earned, on 14 hits and struck out eight batters between the two games.
 
Franciscan will take on the second-seeded Mount Aloysius tomorrow at 1:00 pm as the only two undefeated teams left in the tournament. The winner will advance to Sunday's championship round.