Loretto, Pa. - This weekend, Saint Francis softball returns to the South for another tournament. This time, the Red Flash are at the Frost Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee. SFU is slated for five games versus Miami (Ohio), Saint Louis, SIU Edwardsville, and UNLV.
Weekend Schedule
Friday's Games
- Saint Louis 12:00 p.m.
- UNLV 2:00 p.m.
Saturday's Games
- Miami (Ohio) 12:00 p.m.
- Saint Louis 2:00 p.m.
Sunday's Game
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 11:00 a.m.
Scouting Miami (Ohio)
The Redhawks opened the 2020 season at the Rambler Rumble (Feb. 7-9) going 3-2 with wins over Loyola Chicago, Western Illinois, and IUPUI. Miami will enter the Frost Classic freshly rested after taking a bye during the previous weekend. The Redhawks can proud the ball compiling 15 extra base hits (10 doubles, two triples, and three home runs) for a .427 slugging percentage. Morgan Lott leads the team with a .450 average but Allie Cummins has done the most damage with a .353 average, four doubles, one triple, and three RBIs. Maclai Branson leads the squad with four RBIs. Miami pitching has been steady posting a 3.80 ERA with 43 strikeouts in 35 innings. Courtney Vierstra leads the way with 34 strikeouts in just 20 innings of ball.
Scouting Saint Louis
The Billikens enter the Frost Classic looking to rebound after going 0-5 at the Bobcat Classic to fall to 2-7 on the young season. Saint Louis is led by a trio of hitters in Kat Lane, Kayla Swiderski, and Sadie Wise. Lane is leading the team by hitting .444 with two double and one triple. Wise is second with a .357 average and has one of the team's two homers. Swiderski has two RBIs and a .353 average. The leading run producers, despite low averages, are Alyssa Chaves and Gabbie Kowalik with six and five RBIs respectively. The Billikens are strong stealers going 10-11 in such attempts. Pitching has been the soft underbelly. SLU pitching has recorded a 6.91 ERA. Chloe Wendling is the leading pitcher compiling a 4.57 ERA in 23 innings. The fielding has held up committing only seven errors.
Scouting SIU Edwardsville
The Cougars opened their season this past weekend at the Alcorn State Tournament going 4-0 against a smattering of SWAC opponents. SIUE is off to a fast start at the plate hitting .333 and scoring 33 runs. Three starters are hitting over .400. Zoe Schafer is hitting .500 with two home runs and seven RBIs for a blistering 1.167 slugging percentage. Alana Cobb-Adams hit .417 with a home run and five RBIs. Lexi King has a .400 mark with a double and three RBIs. Beyond the 13 extra base hits (four doubles, six triples, and three home runs), the Cougars have speed going 14-15 in stolen base attempts. But the real strength has been the strong pitching. SIUE pitchers have a 1.40 ERA in 25 innings with 27 strikeouts. Ingles is the ace with the 2-0 record and 0.54 ERA. Kennedy Lehn is right behind her posting a 1-0 mark and 0.88 ERA. Fielding has been exceptional as well with a .990 mark.
Scouting UNLV
The Rebels are 7-4 entering their long trip to Chattanooga after going 5-1 at the Marucci Desert Classic. UNLV contains power within their bats hammering 10 home runs. Samantha Diaz leads the way with three home runs. Mia Trejo has 11 RBIs to claim top spot in RBI production. Justine Federe has a .344 average with two home runs and 10 RBIs. Maddie Schmidt boasts of the highest average (.429). UNLV is perfect in stolen base attempts (15-15). The Rebels' sticks are impressive but their pitching is the star regiment of the squadron. UNLV holds a 1.15 ERA in 73 innings with two pitchers sporting marks below one. Breana Burke leads the way with a 0.65 ERA in 21.2 innings and a 2-0 record. Charlie Masterson is right on her heels with a 0.79 mark in 17.2 innings to earn her a 2-1 record. Jenny Bressler, the usual ace, is 3-3 with a 1.31 ERA. UNLV has only committed eight errors in their eleven games.
Bezjak Awarded Laurels
Allyn Bezjak (Uniontown, Pa./Albert Gallatin High School) had herself a weekend at the Campbell Invitational hitting .417 with one double, two triples, one home run, and seven RBIs to power the Red Flash offense. Her two key hits against Howard sparked the victories. As such, the NEC named Bezjak the NEC Player of the Week. This is the first such award for Bezjak.
How to Follow
The games will be streamed via Facebook Live at the Red Flash Softball Facebook page and live stats will be available. As always, the links will be on the Softball Schedule page on the SFU Athletics website and will be tweeted out on the @RedFlashSB account before each game starts.
The Frost Classic tournament page can be found here.
The Red Flash Facebook page can be found here.
