LORETTO, Pa. – The Saint Francis softball team (38-8, 22-2 NEC) opened the 2021 NEC Championships against No. 4 Sacred Heart (15-22, 13-15 NEC) on Thursday with a 7-0 shutout win. Sophomore pitcher Grace Vesco threw her third no-hitter of the season and totaled 10 strikeouts.
 

THOUGHTS
Head Coach Jessica O'Donnell: "We tried not to make the moment too big and focus on what we could control. The key was to get ahead early and we did that. I'm excited to see this team continue to play through the tournament.
 
Saint Francis 7, Sacred Heart 0
Records: Saint Francis (38-8, 22-2 NEC), Sacred Heart (15-22, 13-15 NEC)
Location: Red Flash Softball Field (Loretto, Pa.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Grace Vesco threw a no-hitter and only allowed two walks while striking out 10 batters.

The Saint Francis offense put up five runs in the bottom of the first after Vesco and the Red Flash defense retired Sacred Heart in order to begin the game. Jordan Pietrzykoski hit a solo home run over the right field wall. Lexi Hernandez followed with a single and scored on a home run from Allyn Bezjak. Tayven Rousseau was hit by a pitch and Jordan Frank singled to put runners on first and second with one out. Brittney Crawford scored Rousseau with an RBI single. Madeline Barnes drew a two-out walk to load the bases. Mekenzie Saban hit an infield single to score the final run of the inning.

The score remained 5-0 until the sixth inning. Saban hit a one-out double and scored on a home run from Hernandez.
GAME NOTES

• Vesco threw a perfect game through five and two thirds innings.
• This is Vesco's third no-hitter and 13^th shutout of the season.
• This is Vesco's 21^st victory.
• This is Pietrzykoski's third home run of the season.
• This is Bezjak's second home run and fifth multi-RBI game of the season.
• This is Crawford's fifth multi-hit game of the season.
• This is Saban's 22^nd multi-hit game and 19^th double of the season. She is now tied for the third-most in a single season in program history.
• This is Hernandez's second home run and seventh multi-hit game of the season.
• Six different Red Flash players recorded a hit.

 
UP NEXT
Saint Francis will face the winner of the LIU/Central Connecticut game on Friday at 10 a.m. on the second day of the NEC Championships.
 
Follow Saint Francis Softball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get up-to-date information and a behind-the-scenes look at the Red Flash program.

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