Series Notes | Live Stats(Game 1) | Live Stats(Game 2)
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team meets Penn State on Wednesday for a doubleheader against the in-state rival, starting at 6 p.m.
The Red Flash improved to 29-18 with a 4-0 weekend against NEC Foes Bryant and Mount St. Mary's. That capped off a 5-1 week, including a split against Bucknell. SFU maintained the top spot in the NEC, now with a 9-1 record in conference play.
Saint Francis returns to NEC play this weekend against Robert Morris, with a Sunday doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.
SERIES
Saint Francis is 4-32 all-time against Penn State, but split the doubleheader last year at University Park. The Red Flash won the first game, 5-4, but fell 14-2 in the second game.
Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) hit a home run in last year's first game, while
Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) earned the win, pitching four innings.
Kate Blattenberger (Martinsburg, Pa./Central) and
Taylor Parsons (Bellefonte, Pa./Bald Eagle) each doubled in the second game.
SENECA NFCA PLayer of the week
Saint Francis's
Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) was named NFCA Player of the Week for her efforts leading SFU to a 5-1 mark last week. She is the first NEC player to be named NFCA Player of the Week.
The sophomore homered in five straight games last week to give her 16 bombs on the year, setting a new SFU single-season record, topping Jamie Krusinsky's 14 home runs in 2000. Seneca drove in 12 RBI and scored 11 runs in six games, while hitting .500 (8-for-16).
Seneca began the week by hitting two homers in the doubleheader against Bucknell, including a grand slam in the nightcap.
She followed that with a homer in each game against Bryant. She added a double in the second game and scored four runs. Seneca continued a strong week with a homer and four RBI in the first game against Mount St. Mary's.
Seneca has 51 RBI and a .338 average.
NEC WEEKLY HONOR SWEEP
The Red Flash swept the NEC weekly honors for the third time this season. Seneca earned Player of the Week accolades, while
Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) was named Pitcher of the Week and
Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) was selected Rookie of the Week.
DeVries went 4-0, in four appearances, including three starts, and did not allow an earned run. She threw two complete games and allowed only 11 hits in 18.2 innings, while striking out 17.
The Illinois native is 12-3 in 26 appearances this year, with a 2.32 ERA in 90.1 innings. DeVries has been even stronger in NEC play, with a 5-0 record and 0.27 ERA in seven appearances.
Norton batted .412 with two doubles, four homers, eight RBI and nine runs. She hit two home runs, in the first two innings, in Saturday's first game against Bryant. Norton drove in three runs and scored two. She followed that performance with two doubles and a homer in the second game of the twinbill, driving in three more runs. Norton was part of the five home run inning. In Sunday's second game against Mount St. Mary', Norton crushed a two-run shot to left.
Norton leads the Red Flash with a .368 average, 56 hits and 52 RBI, while hitting 13 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs. Norton now holds the SFU single-season RBI record, topping Autumn Helsel's 45 RBI in 1997.
HITTING BOMBS
Saint Francis had an incredible week at the plate, launching 20 home runs in six games, including 18 in the four games against NEC foes.
The Red Flash tied an NCAA Division I record by blasting five home runs in the first inning of Saturday's nightcap against Bryant. The five dingers were part of an 11-run inning and five of the 12 SFU hit in that doubleheader. SFU's seven home runs in the first game of the twinbill are tied for the second-most in a Division I game this year.
The Red Flash also set a new NEC single-season record, besting 55 homers by Bryant last season. SFU now has 67 on the season, ranking ninth in the nation in home runs per game, averaging 1.43.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State is 26-18 on the year after going 2-1 this past weekend in its series at Iowa.
The Nittany Lions are batting .327 as a team and averaging 5.9 runs per game. Macy Jones leads PSU with a .401 average with 55 hits, including 16 doubles, nine home runs and 37 RBI. She has scored 45 runs and stolen nine bases. Lexi Knief is batting .376 with 27 RBI, while Alyssa VanDerveer has nine homers and 41 RBI to go with a .372 average. Shelby Miller has hit seven homers and driven in 34 runs.
The Penn State pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.63 and allows an opposing batting average of .285. Marlaina Laubach has a team-best 2.84 ERA in 135.2 innings. She is 10-8 in 34 appearances with 81 strikeouts. Christy Von Pusch owns a 3.41 ERA in 39 innings, over 19 appearances. Madison Seifert has made 10 appearances, including four starts, with a 4.00 ERA and a 10-4 record.
