WHEELING, Ill. – A small rally in the 4th inning of both ends of a doubleheader proved to be the difference, as Trinity International hung within striking distance but ultimately dropped both games to the St. Francis Saints, falling 3-1 in game one, and 2-0 in game two.

Box Scores: Game 1 | Game 2 | Season Stats

The Saints (16-8, 5-1 CCAC) scored all five runs in the 4th inning of both games, breaking up a scoreless tie in both contests. Freshman pitcher Taylor Carli looked strong in the circle for Trinity (5-15, 1-7 CCAC), striking out nine over both games while allowing three earned runs on the day.

St. Francis nearly struck in the top of the first of game one, after a leadoff single and sac bunt gave the Saints a runner in scoring position. A one-out single up the middle nearly scored the first run of the day, but center fielder Emily Doomis made a perfect throw to Alyssa Doomis behind the plate, gunning the runner down to keep the game scoreless.

Three straight singles to lead off the top of the 4th in the first game of the day set the table for St. Francis, who took a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to right. A hit batter loaded the bases again, when USF's Torey Borkowski hit a two-RBI double to put the visitors ahead 3-0.

Trinity grabbed one back in the bottom of the 5th, beginning with Justine Wigboldy's single up the middle. A throwing error on Carli's sac bunt attempt sent the ball down the right field line, allowing Wigboldy to score from first, making it a 3-1 contest. The Trojans would strand a runner on third in the frame, closing out the scoring in the game.

In game two, Carli worked around a pair of hits over the first three innings, but two errors from the Trojan defense along with three singles allowed the Saints to score twice. Trinity had two big opportunities to tie the game, but stranded two on base to end the 5th and left the bases loaded in the 6th without driving in a run.

Seven Trojans finished with a hit on the day, with Tori Livingston recording the only multi-hit performance, going 2-for-3 in game two.

Trinity will step out of conference play for their next game, when they travel to Mount Mary in Greenfield, Wisc., for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 2. First pitch from Kulwicki Park is set for 1:00 p.m.