ERIE, Pa. – The Franciscan softball team suffered its first loss of the 2019 Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship tournament as the Lady Barons fell to the second-seeded Mount Aloysius Mounties 5-4 in nine innings, Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lady Barons got things going quickly in the top of the first as sophomore Allyson Weiss led off the game with a single to left. The Greenwood, IN native promptly stole second to get in scoring position. Junior Kathleen Thompson scorched a ball to third and the ball deflected off of the third baseman's glove to allow Weiss to reach third, the Mountie short stop tried to get the speedy Thompson at first but airmailed the ball and it rolled to the fence to bring home Weiss for the 1-0 lead. Thompson held at first but moved over to second after freshman Rachel Cooper walked. Classmate Anna Swierczewski ground out to move the pair up a base each before freshman Jenny Massey reached on a bunted fielder's choice that allowed Thompson to come home and slid in under the tag. Freshman Chloe Cross gave the Lady Barons a 3-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Cooper.
 
Mount Aloysius cut a run back in the bottom of the first and bottom of the second to cut the lead to 3-2 after two full innings. Franciscan pushed its lead back to two runs as Massey and Swierczewski and completed a double steal of second and home as Swierczewski slid around the tag at home to push Franciscan's lead to 4-2.
 
Sophomore Andi Queen came out in relief of freshman Sarah Keating in the bottom of the third and pitched a 1-2-3 third and fourth inning for Franciscan. After the Lady Barons went down in order in the fifth, Queen found herself in trouble for the first time in the game. With runners on second and third and two outs, Queen got a grounder to Weiss in the hole at second who flipped it to Swierczewski covering first to end the frame.
 
Massey led off the sixth with a single but the Lady Barons couldn't get her home and the Mounties cut the lead down to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth with a bases-loaded fielder's choice as the Lady Barons got an out at third. Another single reloaded the bases for Mount Aloysius but a fly ball to Thompson in right ended the inning.
 
Mount Aloysius tied the game in the bottom of the seventh as the Mounties got a run on a ground out for the second out. Queen got out of the inning with an easy come backer but the damage was done.
 
Franciscan stranded two in the top of the eighth and the Mounties went down in order in their half and on the ninth the game went. Franciscan put the ball in play but right at Mount Aloysius players and went down in order in the ninth.
 
The Mounties led off the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back singles to center before Brianna Benscoter doubled to deep center field and Leanne Cardoso-Bastos came home to score the winning run.
 
The win propels Mount Aloysius to the championship game on Sunday while Franciscan will play Penn State Behrend at 9:00 am for a chance at another meeting with Mount Aloysius for the conference crown.