JOLIET - Morning rain forced the cancellation of all but the final game scheduled for the weekend's University of St. Francis Spring Fling softball tourney on Saturday, but the Saints and Goshen College Maple Leafs gave the fans their money's with an 8-7 USF win over Goshen in nine innings at the Inwood Softball Complex.

The lead changed hands four times in a game that saw the two squads score a total of 15 runs and strand a total of 25 baserunners.

USF made the final comeback in the sixth and seventh innings to force extra frames and then finally pushed across the winning run in the ninth on a bases-loaded single by senior center fielder Kendel Behrens (Morris H.S./Morris, IL).

The Saints took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a run-scoring single by junior catcher C.J. Rupsis (Bolingbrook H.S./Bolingbrook, IL). The lead was short lived, though, as Goshen capitalized on a two-out error by the Saints in the top of the fourth and scored twice to take a 2-1 lead.

St. Francis retaliated quickly with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fourth to jump out to a 5-2 lead. Senior second baseman Beth Boezeman (Lincoln-Way East H.S./Frankfort, IL) drove home the first two runs of the inning with a two-out single and that was followed by consecutive doubles by senior first baseman Lynley Louzensky (Tinley Park H.S./Oak Forest, IL) and Rupsis.

After a scoreless fifth inning for each team, Goshen rapped out five hits sandwiched around a USF error to score five times before the Saints were able to record on out in the top of the sixth.

USF chipped away at the 7-5 deficit and got within a run in the bottom of the sixth when Louzensky drilled her second straight run-scoring double to right field.

The Saints finally got the game back to even in the bottom of the seventh when freshman left fielder Kalli Tobias (Lincoln-Way Central H.S./Manhattan, IL) belted her first collegiate home run with one out.

Both teams squandered opportunities to score in the eighth inning, with Goshen leaving a pair of runners on base and USF stranding three after loading the bases with just one out.

The Saints again held Goshen scoreless in the ninth and again put runners at second and third with no one out in their half of the inning. It appeared the Goshen was going to work its way out of the trouble again before Behrens completed her perfect day at the plate (4-for-4, a walk, a sacrifice and the game-winning RBI) with the two-out winning hit.

Boezeman, Louzensky, Rupsis and Tobias all added two hits apiece to the Saints' 14-hit attack.

USF starting pitcher Jackie Frey (Plainfield South H.S./Plainfield, IL) worked the first four innings and then returned to the game to pitch the final four frames. She allowed just two runs, both unearned, on eight hits with nine strikeouts and two walks. Frey improved her overall record to 3-4.

The Saints (8-13) return to Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference play on Tuesday when they visit league-leading and defending conference champion Saint Xavier in Chicago for a doubleheader.