Flash Points:

• SFU Softball swept Mount St. Mary's on Saturday to improve to 35-9 this season.
• The Red Flash has set a new program wins record and has improved its win total each of the last six seasons.
• Saint Francis is now 8-0 in the NEC, its best start in program history.
• The Red Flash now has 16 road wins this season, the most in program history.
• SFU has won eight straight games.
• Seniors Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) and Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) had dominant performances in the circle to lead the Red Flash on Saturday.

EMMITSBURG, Md. – A dominant performance in the circle on Saturday helped Saint Francis to a sweep over Mount St. Mary's at Our Lady Of The Meadows Field.  The Red Flash won 6-1 in the first game and 3-0 in the second game.  Mount St. Mary's dropped to 14-23 overall and 4-4 in the NEC.
 
The Red Flash won its eighth straight game to improve to 35-9 on the season, including 8-0 in NEC play.  With 35 wins, the Red Flash has set a new program-record, topping 34 wins by last year's team. 
 
Saint Francis has now improved its win total each of the last six seasons.  The Red Flash improved from 10 wins to 22 from 2011 to 2012, followed by 25 wins (2013), 26 wins (2014), 31 wins (2015), 34 wins (2016) and now 35 wins in 2017, with 12 games left in the regular season.   
 
Saint Francis has won 23 of its last 24 games, including eight conference wins.  The Red Flash is off to its best start in conference play in program history.
 
With today's wins, Saint Francis now has 16 road wins, the most in program history, topping 14 road wins by the 2008 team. 
 
Senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) reached the 400 career strikeout mark, fanning 10 batters in Saturday's second game.  DeVries struck out double-digit batters in a game for the third time this season.  DeVries threw a one-hitter, retiring 19 straight batters to close out the win in game two. 
 
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) struck out a career-high 11 batters in game one.  SFU totaled 21 strikeouts on the day without walking a batter.
 
Sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) hit a grand slam to left center in game one.  That was McKee's first career grand slam and Saint Francis' fifth this season.  Fellow sophomore Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) has hit three grand slams and senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) has one.
 
Saint Francis stole seven bases on the day, bringing its season total to 83.  The Red Flash is just two steals away from the NEC record, set by UMBC in 1999 and 2000.
 
The Red Flash hosts Kent State on Wednesday at the Red Flash Softball Field.  A doubleheader will begin at 3 p.m.  Kent State is 17-23 overall and 7-8 in the MAC.
 
First Game
Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) improved to 13-1 on the season with a dominant effort in the circle.  In a complete game, Santai allowed just one run on six hits.  She struck out a career-high 11 batters, without walking a batter.  That topped her previous career high of seven strikeouts, which she accomplished three times, most recently on May 12, 2016 vs. Robert Morris.  At one point in today's game, Santai recorded six straight outs via a strikeout.  Santai did not allow multiple baserunners in an inning until the seventh.
 
Senior Sam Lichtner started in the circle for the Mountaineers.  She threw all seven innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and five walks.  She struck out four batters.
 
The Red Flash tallied four of its runs on a grand slam by sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois).  Her sister, Cheyenne, went two-for-three on the day, including a triple and two runs.  Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) had two hits, including an RBI single.  Junior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) and senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) each scored a run.  SFU stole five bases in the game, with one each from Seneca, Cabell, Witthus, sophomore Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) and freshman Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown).
 
Sophomore Lindsay Heinze led Mount's offense with two hits, including a solo homer and a double, while sophomore Morgan Alisauckas went two-for-three.  Senior Jessica Greenewald also had a double.
 
The Red Flash jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first on S. McKee's grand slam.  C. McKee and Seneca hit back to back singles to left to start the inning.  Two batters later, Cabell blooped a single to right field to load the bases.  On a 0-1 pitch, S. McKee launched a fly ball over the fence in left center.  It was McKee's second homer this season.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the fourth.  With two outs, C. McKee lined the first pitch of her at-bat to the gap in left center for a triple, her fourth triple of the season.  Seneca then beat out a grounder to the shortstop for an infield single, which allowed McKee to cross the plate.  SFU lead 5-0 going to the bottom of the fourth.
 
Mount St. Mary's got on the board in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer to left center by Lindsay Heinze.  That homer cut the Mount deficit to 5-1.
 
The Red Flash added another run in the top of the sixth.  Marion led off the inning with a single to left and then stole second.  Witthus followed with a single to right, but Marion was thrown out trying to go to third on the play.  However, C. McKee and Seneca drew walks to load the bases.  Norton then grounded out to the pitcher, but Witthus scored from third to extend SFU's lead to 6-1.
 
Second Game
Senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) followed Santai's strong start with a dominant performance of her own.  DeVries picked up her ninth win of the season by firing seven shutout innings.  She allowed only one hit, a bloop single in the first inning, and responded by retiring the next 19 batters.  DeVries struck out 10 batters, striking out at least one batter in each of the final six innings. 
 
Junior Marian Ruf started for Mount St. Mary's and dropped to 2-6 this season.  Ruf allowed three runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking four.
 
Cabell collected two hits and drove in a run.  C. McKee had two hits and scored two runs, while Norton drove in a run and scored a run.  Hoover hit her first career triple and drove in a run. 
 
Mount's only hit of the day came on a single by Greenewald.
 
Saint Francis took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.  C. McKee was hit by a pitch to start the inning.  Two batters later, Norton was hit by a pitch.  Cabell then singled through the left side to plate McKee.  S. McKee loaded the bases with a hard single to left before Taylor Hoover (Phillipsburg, Ohio/Northmont) drew a walk to allow Norton to score. 
 
The Red Flash added a run in the top of the sixth.  With one out, Witthus was hit by a pitch and C. McKee singled to left to put two runners on.  Witthus and McKee moved up on a wild pitch before Witthus was thrown out at home on a fielder's choice.  Norton then lined a single to left to bring home McKee and extend SFU's lead to 3-0.