Series Notes | Live Stats | NEC Front Row
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team continues NEC play this weekend with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday at Robert Morris. The games will be webcast on NEC Front Row.
The Red Flash enters the series with a 29-20 record, including 9-1 in the NEC. SFU will look to get back on the winning track after dropping two games against Penn State on Wednesday, 6-0 and 4-2.
Saint Francis currently sits at the top of the Northeast Conference standings. LIU Brooklyn is second with a 10-2 record. The Colonials are in third place with a 5-3 mark, setting up a key series on Sunday.
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash trails the all-time series, 54-24-1, against Robert Morris. Last year, the teams split on the final weekend of the regular season. SFU won the first game, 6-5, but fell 4-3 in the second game.
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 SFU 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.
SISTERS OF SWAT
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.
AMONG NCAA LEADERS
Heading into the final two weeks of the regular season, the Red Flash is among the NCAA Division I leaders in multiple categories.
Category Total/Average NCAA Rank NEC Rank
| Batting Average |
.297 |
91 |
1 |
| Runs |
322/6.57 per game |
16 |
1 |
| Doubles |
71/1.45 per game |
64 |
2 |
| Home Runs |
68/1.39 per game |
9 |
1 |
| On-Base % |
.416 |
19 |
1 |
| Slugging % |
.527 |
15 |
1 |
Individual Leaders
Category Name Total/Average NCAA Rank NEC Rank
| Home Runs |
Seneca
Norton |
16
14 |
11
28 |
2
3 |
| Home Runs PG |
Seneca
Norton
A. Bower |
0.33
0.29
0.23 |
17
42
103 |
2
3
4 |
| RBI |
Norton
Seneca |
52
51 |
13
20 |
1
2 |
| RBI per game |
Norton
Seneca
Cabell |
1.06
1.04
0.93 |
39
48
97 |
1
2
3 |
| Runs per game |
S. McKee
Seneca |
0.98
0.94 |
54
74 |
1
2 |
| Slugging % |
Norton
Seneca |
.745
.732 |
43
52 |
2
3 |
| On-Base % |
Witthus |
.486 |
107 |
1 |
| Sacrifice Flies |
A. Bower
C. McKee |
5
3 |
6
62 |
2
3 |
| Walks |
Seneca
S. McKee
Cabell
Witthus |
0.73
0.61
0.61
0.57 |
36
87
91
123 |
1
2
3
5 |
| K's per 7 inn |
DeVries |
7.5 |
59 |
3 |
| Shutouts |
DeVries |
5 |
28 |
1 |
SCOUTING THE COLONIALS
Robert Morris is 15-28 this season, including a 5-3 mark in the Northeast Conference. The Colonials battle Mount St. Mary's on Saturday before facing the Red Flash on Sunday. Last weekend, Robert Morris earned a sweep against Bryant, winning 1-0 in the first game and 4-3, in eight innings, in the second contest.
The Colonials have a team batting average of .247 and average just under three runs per game. Jordan Gurganus leads the team with a .376 average, including 53 hits and 17 runs. Ashley Gerhart has three homers and 16 RBI to go with a .296 average, while Haleigh Stocks and Kristen Gabelt have six and five home runs, respectively. Lauren Hackett leads the squad with 19 RBI.
In the circle, Robert Morris has a team ERA of 4.39 and allows an opposing batting average of .300. Kaitlin Ellzy leads the staff with a 3.30 ERA in 127.1 innings over 31 appearances, including 20 starts. Ellzy is 9-12 with nine complete games. Lacee Collins and Laura Coulter each have 23 appearances on the year, with 5.17 and 5.18 ERA's, respectively.
