FAIRFIELD, Calif. – Senior right fielder Claire Krotine hit 2-for-4 while junior center fielder Alexis McFarland had her team's lone extra-base hit, but St. Francis surrendered an early lead to fall to Vanden, 7-2, in non-league prep softball action Friday afternoon.

The Troubadours slip to 1-3 for the year. The Vikings, last year's Monticello Empire League runner-up, opens their season at 1-0.

Krotine and McFarland joined pitchers Kinsley Imm and Reese Lewis as the four St. Francis players with hits. In fact, all four collected safeties in the third toward a two-run rally. Lewis led off the inning with a single, then moved up to second on a fielder's choice. Julia Nielsen took over as a pinch runner, coming through on Krotine's rip up the middle. McFarland followed with a double to put two in scoring position, then Imm moved up both teammates 60 feet with her shot to left. Vanden senior Isabella Cueva then retired back-to-back Troubies to end the rally.

Unfortunately, the Vikings had already crafted a 5-0 lead in their first two innings, with Cueva providing her own run support with a two-out, two-run triple in that second stanza. Cueva finished 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs while going the distance in the circle to the tune of five hits, two earned runs and five strikeouts. Sophomore shortstop Niayli Calvo went 3-for-3 with four runs, two RBIs and a whopping eight total bases: a triple in the second, leadoff double in the fourth and another triple in the sixth.

Imm largely cooled off the Vanden bats, taking over in the third then allowing four hits, no walks and just one earned run in 3.2 innings of relief. Impressively, she threw 39 strikes against just six balls

Krotine continues a hot start to her senior season in the batter's box. In four games thus far, the Santa Clara commit has hit .625 (10-for-16) with multiple hits in each contest.

St. Francis takes a week off from competition, returning to action at home against former Delta League rival Sheldon on March 4. First pitch is 3:30 p.m. at Schuster Field.