Flash Points:

• SFU Softball visits Sacred Heart on Saturday for a key NEC doubleheader.
• The Red Flash and the Pioneers begin the twinbill at 1 p.m. on NEC Front Row.
• The matchup features the top two teams in the NEC standings.
• The Red Flash (30-17, 10-0) heads into the matchup with a 29-game NEC win streak.
• Saint Francis currently ranks third in Division I in homers with 60.
• Sacred Heart is 28-18 overall and 8-2 in conference play.

Game Notes | Live Stats Game 1, Game 2 | NEC Front Row
 
LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Softball team travels to Sacred Heart on Saturday for a key NEC doubleheader.  A doubleheader between the Red Flash and the Pioneers will begin at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Park.  The matchup, featuring the top two teams in the NEC standings, will be broadcast on NEC Front Row.
 
The Red Flash, led by Head Coach Jennifer Patrick-Swift, is 30-17 overall and 10-0 in the NEC after sweeping both of its doubleheaders this past weekend.  Saint Francis defeated Central Connecticut State, 4-2 and 9-2, and swept Bryant, 12-2, in six innings, and 8-3.  The Red Flash is riding a 10-game win streak.  With two wins this weekend, SFU can clinch at least a share of the NEC Title.
 
Sacred Heart, coached by Elizabeth Luckie and Pam London, is 28-18 overall and 8-2 in conference play.  Last weekend, the Pioneers were swept at Maine, but bounced back to sweep Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.  SHU fell 7-4 at Fairfield on Tuesday, but swept Siena on Thursday.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Red Flash leads 21-13 in the all-time series against Sacred Heart.  Saint Francis has won each of the last four games, including last year's doubleheader sweep in Loretto.  The Redd Flash earned an 8-0, five-inning, win in game one and a 4-1 victory in game two.
 
SFU THIRD NATIONALLY IN HOMERS
With 13 homers this weekend, the Red Flash now has 60 homers this season, already the third-most in a season at SFU.  The Red Flash ranks third in Division I, just behind Coastal Carolina's 62 dingers and Eastern Kentucky's 61 homers. SFU ranks fifth in the nation in home runs per game, with 1.28.

Six SFU players have at least six homers this season, led by Madison Cabell (Ivor, Va./Southampton)'s 13.  Cabell paces the NEC in homers and RBI (43).  Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) has 10 bombs, while Mikayla Bower (Williamsport, Pa./Williamsport) has eight, Sierra McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) has seven and Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) and Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) each have six.

Saint Francis is the only team in Division I that has six players with at least six homers.
 
LARGEST CONFERENCE WIN STREAK
The Red Flash currently has the longest conference win streak in Division I.  Saint Francis has won 29 straight NEC games dating back to the 2016 season.  SFU is just two NEC wins away from tying Jacksonville State (2015-17) for the 10th longest conference win streak in NCAA Division I history.

SFU's last NEC loss came on May 13, 2016 in the NEC Tournament vs. Robert Morris.  SFU's last NEC regular season loss came on May 5, 2016 against Central Connecticut State.  Of those 29 wins, 11 have come by run-rule and nine have been shutouts.  Saint Francis is averaging nine runs per game in NEC play this season, while batting .385 with 24 homers. 
 
NORTON, TRAHAN EARN NEC WEEKLY AWARDS
Junior Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) was named NEC Player of the Week for the third time in her career.  In a ridiculous week at the plate, Norton went 7-for-21 (.333) with five homers, including two grand slams, 14 RBI and six runs.  She hit a two-run homer at Penn State on Wednesday.  In game two vs. CCSU, Norton hit two homers, including a grand slam, for six RBI.  She followed that with a solo homer in game one and a grand slam in game two against Bryant.
 
Sophomore Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) has won back-to-back NEC Pitcher of the Week awards.  She now has four this season and five in her career.  In four starts this week, Trahan went 4-0 with four complete games and a 1.68 ERA.  In 25 innings, she allowed 19 hits, seven runs (six earned) and six walks, while striking out 26.  She had two complete game victories against Penn State, allowing only two hits out of the infield in game one.  She won both starts this weekend, including striking out five of the first seven batters against Bryant.  Trahan's 22 wins are a single-season SFU record and currently rank third in the nation.
 
DOMINATING THE WEEKEND
The Red Flash's four-win NEC weekend featured some impressive play at the plate and in the circle.  In four games, SFU totaled 40 hits, including five doubles, two triples and 13 homers, 33 runs and 32 RBI.  Hayley Norton (Spring Grove, Pa./Spring Grove) had five hits, including four homers (two grand slams), 11 RBI and four runs.  Norton hit two homers, including a grand slam, in SFU's second game against CCSU.  She followed that with a solo homer in game one against Bryant and a grand slam in game two.  Kassidy Troxell (Navarre, Ohio/Perry) went 9-for-12 at the plate, recording hits in her final nine at-bats of the weekend.  She had a double, a triple and a homer, driving in three runs and scoring four, while Cheyenne McKee (DuBois, Pa./DuBois) went 5-for-9 with a triple, two homers, five RBI and eight runs. 

In the circle, the Red Flash posted a 2.07 ERA with four complete-game performances.  In 27 innings, the Red Flash allowed just 17 hits and struck out 36 batters.  Abby Trahan (Kaplan, La./Kaplan) went 2-0 with a 1.62 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 13 innings, while Adrian Smith (Clairsville, Ohio/St. Clairsville) was 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 14 innings. 
 
HOME SWEET HOME
Saint Francis has won 17 straight home games.  In six home games this season, SFU is outscoring its opponents 51-9. The 17 straight wins include seven run-rule victories and four shutouts.  The Red Flash is batting .373 with 56 hits and 20 homers at home this year, averaging 8.5 runs and 9.3 hits per game.
 
SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
Sacred Heart, coached by Elizabeth Luckie and Pam London, is 28-18 overall and 8-2 in conference play.  Last weekend, the Pioneers were swept at Maine, but bounced back to sweep Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday.  SHU fell 7-4 at Fairfield on Tuesday, but swept Siena on Thursday, winning 4-1 and 2-1.
 
The Pioneers are averaging 3.8 runs per game, ranking fourth in the NEC, and batting .251 as a team, also good for fourth in the league.  Senior Fallon Bevino leads the team with a .299 average to go with five homers and 19 RBI.  Hailey Desrosiers is hitting .288 with five homers and 18 RBI, while Lauren Delgadillo is hitting .275 with four homers and 19 RBI.
 
Sacred Heart leads the NEC, and ranks 18th in the nation, with a 1.85 ERA.  The Pioneers allow an opposing average of .181.  Kristen McCann is 11-11 in a team-high 28 appearances with a 2.10 ERA in 146.2 innings.  She has 157 strikeouts and has allowed just 83 walks.  Junior Emily Orosco is 11-3 in 22 appearances (16 starts) with a 1.28 ERA and 171 strikeouts in 115 innings.