Flash Points:

• Saint Francis Softball earned its first ever Northeast Conference Tournament Title with an 11-2 win over Wagner on Saturday.
• The Red Flash claimed the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will find out its NCAA Regionals destination during the Selection Show on Sunday at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.
• SFU exploded for six runs in the sixth inning to clinch a run-rule victory.
• Sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was named NEC Tournament MVP, with Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton), Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) and Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) joining her on the All-Tournament Team.
• The Red Flash is now 48-9, setting a new NEC season wins record, and has won a program-record 21 straight games.

LORETTO, Pa. – Continuing an historic season, the Saint Francis Softball team needed just six innings to win the NEC Championship Series on Saturday and capture its first ever Northeast Conference Title.  The Red Flash earned an 11-2 win over Wagner, exploding for six runs in the top of the sixth to clinch a run-rule victory.
 
After securing its first ever NEC Title, the Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, earned the NEC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.  Saint Francis will find out where it play the NCAA Regional round during Sunday's Selection Show, at 10 p.m. on ESPN2. 
 
Saint Francis is now 48-9 overall, setting a new NEC wins record, besting the 47 wins by UMBC in 2002.  SFU will enter the NCAA Tournament riding a program-record 21-game win streak and as winners in 36 of its last 37 games.  After going 16-0 in the regular season against NEC opponents, the Red Flash added three more wins against conference foes in the NEC Tournament.  SFU is the first team in NEC history to go unbeaten in conference play.
 
Sophomore Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) was named NEC Tournament MVP after going five-for-eight (.625) in the tournament, with a homer, three RBI and six runs.  McKee scored three runs and drove in one on Saturday.
 
Junior Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton) was named to the All-Tournament team after batting .700 on the weekend, with seven hits, including two doubles, two RBI and two runs.  Freshman Halle Marion (Middletown, Pa./Middletown) also made the All-Tournament team with a five-for-nine (.556) weekend, with a double, two RBI and two runs.  Senior Ethel Santai (Pine Grove, Pa./Pine Grove Area) was selected All-Tournament after earning the win in Saturday's Championship Series.  In the tournament, Santai pitched 7.1 innings, allowing just one earned run on seven hits, while striking out three batters.
 
Santai started in the circle for the Red Flash to pick up her 18th win of the year.  Santai went 3.2 innings, allowing a run on four hits, while striking out two batters and walking one.  Freshman Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) took over in the fourth inning and went 1.1 innings, giving up a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out two.  Senior Ketarah DeVries (Forreston, Ill./Forreston) threw a scoreless sixth inning, including a strikeout, to close out the win.
 
Junior Morgan Brown got the start for the Seahawks.  She threw four innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on eight hits, with three strikeouts and three walks.  Senior Gina Massaro threw one inning in relief, allowing four runs on two hits and a walk before freshman Amelia Van Orman went one inning, allowing two runs on three hits and striking out one. 
 
The Red Flash offense tallied 13 hits on the day, led by Cabell's four hit day.  She drove in a run and scored a run.  Sophomore Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) drove in three runs, including a two-run homer and a double.  Sophomore Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) went two-for-four with a double and two RBI, while senior Kindra Witthus (Hudson, Wis./Hudson) drove in two runs on an RBI double.  Marion had three hits and drove in a run and scored a run. 
 
Wagner had five hits, including a solo homer by sophomore Lauren Serrato.  Van Orman had an RBI double and senior Brianna Tredway collected two hits. 
 
The Red Flash got on the board in the top of the second.  S. McKee singled to left to leadoff the inning and stole second before Cabell won a 10-pitch at bat to push McKee to third with a single to right.  Troxell followed by lining a double to right to score McKee and put SFU ahead, 1-0.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the third.  C. McKee worked an 11-pitch walk to start the inning.  Jordan Seneca (Plum, Pa./Plum) followed with a walk before Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) was hit by a pitch to load the bases.  Two batters later, Cabell hit a grounder that bounced off the third base bag for an infield single to allow McKee to cross the plate and extend SFU's lead to 2-0.
 
The Red Flash scored two more runs in the top of the fourth.  Marion reached on a bunt single and moved to second on the play after a throwing error.  C. McKee then sent a 2-2 pitch over the wall in center for a two-run homer to stretch the SFU lead to 4-0.
 
Wagner cut the deficit to three with a run in the bottom of the fourth.  After singles by Stefanie Aplin and Tredway, Van Orman lined a double to the gap in right center to bring home Aplin and cut the SFU advantage to 4-1.
 
Saint Francis added a run in the top of the fifth.  S. McKee drew a walk to lead off the inning and Cabell followed by lining a single to center to move McKee to third.  With two outs, Marion beat out an infield single to shortstop to allow McKee to score and extend the SFU lead to 5-1.
 
The Seahawks got a run back in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer by Serrato, a fly ball that cleared the fence in right.  Saint Francis led 5-2 after five innings.
 
The Red Flash broke the game open with six runs in the top of the sixth.  C. McKee drew a walk and Norton was hit by a pitch to start the inning.  On a double steal attempt, a throwing error allowed Seneca to come in to score.  S. McKee then dropped down a squeeze bunt as Norton beat the throw to home.  Cabell and Troxell followed with singles, with Troxell's driving in a run.  With two outs, Witthus doubled to the gap in left center to bring home Cabell and pinch-runner Meg Murzello (Maple Shade, N.J./Holy Cross).  C. McKee then doubles to the same spot to drive in Witthus and extend the lead to 11-2.