LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team (15-6) opens Northeast Conference play and its home schedule this weekend with a four-game series against Wagner. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, beginning at 1 p.m., and a doubleheader on Sunday, beginning at noon. Please see Saint Francis' spring 2021 fan policy.
 

The Matchup: Saint Francis (15-6) vs. Wagner (6-2, 2-2 NEC)
Location: Red Flash Softball Field (Loretto, Pa.)
Date and Time: Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at noon (both doubleheaders)
Live Stats: sfuathletics.com
NEC Front Row: Saturday | Sunday
 
SCOUTING THE SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks enter the weekend with a 6-2 overall record and a 2-2 record in NEC games. Wagner earned three shutouts and four wins in non-conference play before playing its first NEC series at Merrimack last weekend. Last Saturday, the Seahawks lost the first game by a 3-0 margin before rallying to a 5-3 win in game two. Wagner once again lost the first game of the doubleheader on Sunday, 3-2, before winning the final game of the weekend by a 7-3 mark.

The Seahawks were selected to finish eighth in the NEC preseason coaches' poll after going 3-6 last season. Wagner earned victories against Wright State, Cleveland State and Drexel last season.

This season, graduate pitcher/infielder Amelia Van Orman leads the Wagner offense in batting average (.600), hits (12), doubles (3), triples (1), RBI (12), total bases (17), slugging percentage (.850), walks (9) and on-base percentage (.724). Van Orman also leads the Seahawks pitching staff in ERA (0.82) as junior pitcher Eve Harvey leads in wins (3), appearances (5), complete games (3), innings pitched (26.2), strikeouts (22) and opponent batting average (.200).

SERIES WITH THE SEAHAWKS
Saint Francis leads 31-25 in the all-time series against Wagner. The two teams most recently met in 2019 when the Red Flash earned the doubleheader sweep of the Seahawks.

SFU won the first game by a 6-4 margin, using a five-run third inning to take a lead it would not relinquish. Mekenzie Saban led the Red Flash offense with a 3-of-4 day at the plate, including a double, and scoring the go-ahead run in the third. Christina Clark pitched the complete game to earn the win in the circle.

Saint Francis won the second game 8-4 as the Red Flash once against scored five runs in the third inning to take the lead it would carry through the game. Jordan Frank led the Red Flash offense, finishing 3-of-4 at the plate with four RBI, two runs and a home run. Frank batted in the go-ahead run with a single.

LAST TIME OUT
Saint Francis swept its mid-week doubleheader at Akron on Wednesday, winning the first game by a 4-2 margin and the second game by a 10-3 margin. In the first game, Grace Vesco pitched the complete game to earn her ninth win of the season. Lindsay Ward and Brittney Crawford each finished 2-of-3 to lead the offense. In the second game, Rachel Marsden pitched the complete game to earn her fifth win while Lexi Hernandez hit her first collegiate home run while leading the SFU offense with three hits and three RBI.

Following last weekend's doubleheader at Youngstown State, Marsden, Ward and Vesco were named Northeast Conference Prime Performers.
 

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To learn more about Saint Francis University, visit francis.edu.