Flash Points:

• SFU Softball earned a 8-1 win over Wagner on Friday to advance out of the winner's bracket to Saturday's NEC Championship Series.
• The Red Flash, the top seed in the tournament, will play at Noon on Saturday, where it will play a re-match against Wagner.
• SFU needs to win just one game tomorrow to clinch the NEC Title and an NCAA Tournament berth.
• The Red Flash improved to 47-9 with its 20th straight win and 35th win in its last 36 games.
• Saint Francis tied the NEC season wins record, set by UMBC in 2002.

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LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team is one win away from its first ever NEC Tournament title after an 8-1 win over Wagner on Friday in the winner's bracket game.  The Red Flash scored in four different innings on its way to its 47th win of the season. 
 
Saint Francis, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is now 47-9 overall, tying the NEC wins record, set by UMBC in 2002.  The Red Flash has won 20 straight games, a program record, and 35 of its last 36 games.  
 
The Red Flash, the top seed in the tournament, moves on to Saturday's championship series, with the first game beginning at Noon.  Saint Francis will face Wagner in a re-match after the Seahawks earned a 6-4 win over Sacred Heart in their second game on Friday. As the undefeated team entering the series, SFU needs to win just one, of two possible games, to win the NEC Title and advance to the NCAA Tournament.

With nine hits on the day, Saint Francis raised its season total to 447, setting a new program-record, topping 444 hits last season.  

Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) had an RBI double for her 64th RBI of the season.  That ties Seneca with Monmouth's Heather Gordon (2007).  This season, Seneca has already set the SFU season RBI record and the NEC home run record.  

Seneca also recorded her 21st steal of the season, moving her into a tie with Kelly Slingwine(2008) for the SFU season record.  Seneca is the NEC's first player to have 20 homers and 20 stolen bases in the same season.
 
Senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) started in the circle for the Red Flash.  She went four innings, allowing a run on five hits.  She struck out three batters and walked two.  DeVries improved to 14-5 on the season.  Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) entered in the fifth inning and threw three perfect innings, including a strikeout, to earn her third save of the season.
 
Senior McKaleigh Goodale got the start for Wagner.  She threw 2.2 innings, giving up seven runs, six earned, on eight hits.  She walked a batter and did not strike out a batter.  Senior Gina Massaro took over in the circle and went 3.1 innings to close out the game.  Massaro allowed just one run, on one hit, while striking out six and walking one.
 
Eight different Red Flash had at least one hit and seven different players drove in a run.  Junior Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) had an RBI double and scored two runs.  Junior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) had a double, an RBI and a run, while freshman Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) had two hits, including a double, a run and an RBI.  Sophomores Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove), Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) each had a hit, a run and an RBI.  Senior Kndra Witthus drove in a run, while freshman Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) had a base hit and a run.
 
Wagner's offense was led by senior Hana Gilbert, who had two hits and drove in a run.  Freshman Zoe Bender had a hit and a run, while sophomore Karen Prihoda hit a double and freshman Amelia Van Orman added a base hit.
 
The Seahawks got on the board in the top of the first.  After a single by Zoe Bender and a walk drawn by Brianna Tredway, Hana Gilbert lined a single to right to plate Bender. 
 
The Red Flash answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.  With one out, Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) was hit by a pitch and then stole second before Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) drew a walk.  Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) sent a grounder through the right side of the infield to bring home Seneca.  McKee then stole second before Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) hit a sacrifice fly to left to plate Norton.  Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) followed with a single to right to allow McKee to cross the plate and give SFU a 3-1 lead.
 
Saint Francis added two runs in the bottom of the second.  Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) lined a double to left center to lead off the inning.  Three batters later, Seneca doubled to left to bring home Marion.  Norton then hit a hard grounder to first, which bounced into right field to allow Seneca to score from second and extend SFU's lead to 5-1.
 
The Red Flash scored two more runs in the bottom of the third.  Cabell lined a one-out double to left and an infield single to third by Smith put runners on the corners Marion.  The freshman bounced a single over the pitcher as Cabell scored.  Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) then singled to right to plate Smith and stretch the Red Flash advantage to 7-1.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the bottom of the sixth.  After Witthus drew a walk and C. McKee reached on a fielder's choice before Seneca was hit by a pitch.  Norton then lined a single to center to bring home McKee and extend the SFU lead to 8-1.