Game Notes
Game 1 Live Stats | Video
Game 2 Live Stats | Video
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team takes a short trip to Pittsburgh on Wednesday for a midweek, non-conference doubleheader against the Panthers.  The doubleheader starts at 3 p.m. at the Petersen Sports Complex.
 
The Red Flash is 22-15 this season after splitting its doubleheader at Maryland on Tuesday. However, SFU did not play this past weekend due to its games against Central Connecticut State and Fairleigh Dickinson being postponed due to weather issues.
 
Saint Francis continues NEC play this weekend, traveling to Sacred Heart for a Saturday twinbill. 
 
SERIES NOTES
The Red Flash is 10-20 all-time against Pitt.  SFU dropped both games in last year's doubleheader, 7-0 and 9-4.  SFU's last win in the series came on March 21, 2012, also the last time the teams played before last year's contests.
 
Start'em Young
Saint Francis is one of the youngest teams in the nation, with nine freshmen and two sophomores making up over half of the 19-player roster.  Only 13 teams in the nation have a higher percentage of underclassmen making up their roster.

SFU has started at least four freshmen in every game this season.  The Red Flash has started at least five rookies in 25 different games and even started six against East Carolina on February 20.

Only 10 other schools have started at least five freshmen in a game this year.

The freshmen class has made a major impact for the Red Flash, accounting for almost 60 percent of the team's hits (175 of 293) and 53 percent of the team's runs (131 of 245).  Four of the team's top five hitters, by batting average, are freshmen, including Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove)(.350), Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) (.325), Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) (.320) and Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) (.310).
 
HOME RUN STREAK SNAPPED
The Red Flash did not hit a home run in either game against Maryland, snapping a 15-game streak with at least one home run.  Saint Francis had no home runs in consecutive games since March 2-4 against Grand Canyon and James Madison.
 
TAKING THE TOUGH ROAD
The Red Flash has reached 22 wins this season while playing the 113th-toughest schedule in the nation.  Saint Francis has played five games against teams in the RPI Top 25, nine games against the Top 100 and 18 contests against the Top 150.  SFU is currently ranked 130th in the RPI.

Pitt is 127th in the RPI, while playing the 215th-toughest schedule.
 
APPROACHING RECORDS
A strong year at the plate has put Saint Francis on pace to break multiple team and NEC records.  This week, SFU has a chance to pass the school's top marks in RBI, runs and walks.

The Red Flash has driven in 223 RBI this season, with three players over 30 RBI as Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) leads with 40, Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) has 35 and Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) has 31.  SFU has a chance this week to top the school record of 231.  Norton needs five more RBI to tie Autumn Helsel(1997) for SFU's individual record.

SFU also has a chance to pass the school record for runs scored, 255. The Red Flash has crossed the plate 245 times this season.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) leads with 36 runs, just eight shy of the school's individual record, set by Jamie Krusinsky in 2002.
Saint Francis is currently tied for the program record for walks, with 163.  Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) leads the team with 25 walks, only five behind Krusinsky's record, also set in 2002.
 
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Pitt is 24-14 on the year.  Last week, the Panthers split a doubleheader against Bucknell and lost one game to No. 20 Notre Dame.  Five of Pitt's wins this year have come against the RPI Top 100.
 
The Panthers have a strong offense, batting .329 as a team and averaging 6.7 runs per game.  Pitt is sixth in the nation in team slugging percentage (.563) and seventh in home runs per game (1.39).  Seven starters are batting .317 or higher.  Giorgiana Zeremenko leads the team with a .430 average.  She also has a team-best 12 home runs and 42 RBI.  Erin Hershman owns a .376 average with four homers and 23 RBI, while stealing 10 bases.  Maggie Sevilla has eight home runs and 29 RBI, while McKayla Taylor and Shelby Pickett have seven homers each.
 
Pitt's pitching staff has a collective ERA of 3.45 and allows a .268 opponent batting average.  Kayla Harris has a 2.41 ERA in 28 appearances, including 22 starts.  In 119 innings, Harris has struck out 84 and has a 13-9 record. Jenna Modic has a 4.74 ERA in 72.1 iinnings over 21 appearances.  She has a 4-5 record.