BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – Senior Jordan Frank and sophomore Jordan Pietrzykoski provided clutch late-inning hits, while sophomores Grace Vesco and Rachel Marsden combined to allow just one unearned run, as the Saint Francis softball team swept LIU in a pivotal Saturday doubleheader.

Frank gave the Red Flash a sixth-inning lead with a two-run single in Game 1's 3-1 win, while Pietrzykoski's two-run double in Game 2 provided all the offense in a 2-0 victory. Vesco and Marsden both notched complete games with Vesco striking out 10 and allowing one unearned run in the opener and Marsden tossing a six-hit shutout in the second game of the afternoon.

With the victories, Saint Francis put itself in position to capture the Northeast Conference regular-season title and NEC Championship hosting rights should the Red Flash win at least once Sunday. SFU's 35th win of the year is the third-highest total in program history.

THOUGHTS
Head Coach Jessica O'Donnell: "We didn't try to do too much offensively. We made some key adjustments and trusted the process. Our pitching and defense were locked in on every pitch and had each other's backs. I think we all know what's on the line and it will be a fight to the finish line."

Sophomore Rachel Marsden: "We worked on staying within ourselves, not trying to do too much, and letting our defense take care of fielding the ground balls. We let our offense take care of hitting the ball."

GAME ONE

Saint Francis 3, LIU 1
Records: Saint Francis (34-8, 19-2 NEC), LIU (25-4, 25-4 NEC)
Location: LIU Softball Complex (Brookville, N.Y.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Vesco worked out of a first-inning jam, stranding the bases loaded by striking out the side. The sophomore got batters swinging and looking after three Sharks reached without the benefit of a hit.
• The right-hander retired the side in order in the second and struck out the side in the third to work around trouble as the teams were scoreless through three.
• Vesco struck out a pair of Sharks looking in a 1-2-3 fourth and stood at nine Ks through four innings of work.
• The Sharks struck first in the bottom of the fifth via an unearned run, as a single, error, and double pushed across the game's first tally.
• The Red Flash put up a crooked number in the sixth to take the lead. A pair of singles by sophomore Jordan Pietrzykoski and freshman Lexi Hernandez, followed by junior Allyn Bezjak reaching on a hit by pitch, loaded the bases with one out.
• Senior Tayven Rousseau lifted a fly ball to shallow center that was caught on the run, allowing Pietrzykoski to score the tying run on a sac fly. Sophomore Ashley Wruble – running for Hernandez – and Bezjak moved up on an errant throw.
• Senior Jordan Frank followed with the big hit, a two-run single to right that plated Wruble and Bezjak for a 3-1 advantage.
• Vesco faced the minimum over the final two innings, with the lone baserunner erased on a line-drive double play. The Ohioan went the distance with one unearned run on two hits and 10 strikeouts.

GAME NOTES

• Vesco won her 19^th game of 2021, which is tied for second in program history. Her 10-strikeout performance is her fifth in double digits this season.
• Frank's sixth-inning steal was SFU's 65^th of the season, which matches the fourth-highest total by a Saint Francis team.
• Pietrzykoski recorded her 10^th multi-hit game of the season.
• The Red Flash snapped the Sharks' 16-game winning streak, which ranked in the top five nationally entering the weekend.

GAME TWO

Saint Francis 2, LIU 0
Records: Saint Francis (35-8, 20-2 NEC), LIU (25-5, 25-5 NEC)
Location: LIU Softball Complex (Brookville, N.Y.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first two Red Flash batters reached with a single from senior Mekenzie Saban and a four-pitch walk to Pietrzykoski, but a pair of outs on the base paths got the Sharks out of trouble.
• Sophomore Rachel Marsden retired the first eight batters she faced before a two-out single in the third. The LIU player advanced to second before Marsden stranded her to get out of the third.
• Marsden worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth, getting a pair of fly outs to escape trouble.
• Sophomore Lauren Aubry led off the sixth with a single and advanced to second on a sac bunt. After a pop out for the second out of the inning, the Sharks attempted to intentionally walk Saban, but sailed the second pitch to the backstop. Aubry advanced to third and Saban would walk traditionally to put two in scoring position with two out.
• Pietrzykoski followed and lined a pitch inside the third-base bag to score Aubry and Saban and give the Red Flash a 2-0 lead in the sixth.
• The Sharks left a runner at second in the bottom of the frame before Marsden shut the door in the seventh with a nine-pitch inning to seal the shutout.

GAME NOTES

• The shutout was the 17^th of the year for the Red Flash, which matches the program single-season record set in 1998.
• Marsden became the 11^th player in program history with four shutouts in a single season. The right-hander from Erie was efficient, blanking the Sharks on just 72 pitches while collecting 12 ground outs.
• The 35^th win of the year stands alone as the third-highest total in program history.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis wraps up the regular season on Sunday with a doubleheader at LIU. The first game is scheduled to begin at noon on NEC Front Row. The Red Flash, Sharks, and Central Connecticut have all earned NEC tournament berths, with the final spot to be determined Sunday.

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