ELON, N.C. - The Red Flash Softball team (3-2, 0-0) wrapped up its opening weekend by splitting its final two games against IUPUI and Appalachian State on Sunday. After taking the first game against IUPUI, 13-0, Saint Francis fell to Appalachian State, 9-7, in the second.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Saint Francis's 13-0 win against IUPUI was aided by two five-run innings, coming in the third and fourth, and was the largest win for the Red Flash this season.
» Rachel Marsden shined in the batter's box and on the mound in both games. She collected her first shutout win of the season against IUPUI in five innings and two home runs against Appalachian State.
» Mekenzie Saban, Lindsay Ward and Sydney Baker each tallied their first home run of the season against IUPUI. Along with the home run, Saban would add a double and two singles, along with four RBI, to make a 4-for-4 game at the plate.
» Against Appalachian State, four Red Flash hitters had multi-hit performances, including Olivia Ulam, who added three RBI.
» Appalachian State's Mary Pierce Barnes went 3-for-5 with four RBI against Saint Francis.
FLASH QUOTES
» "I'm glad we didn't sit on last night's game and let that carry over into today's game, and I was really impressed with how they came out ready from the gate in Game One. I was also impressed with our fight in Game Two. I think we shot ourselves in the foot with our mistakes defensively, and we had some unlucky plays that didn't go our way. I never thought that they quit or that we put our heads down, but we have a lot of things to go back to school and work on now." - Head Coach Jess O'Donnell
» "I told [the team] in the postgame huddle that we walked out of here 3-2 against teams who have been outside all this time and we were able to come in here and compete with them and be one of them, so I was very impressed that we worked hard and did what we could. I was impressed that, with our first time on the dirt since last fall, we did pretty well. I think we'll learn from the mistakes we made and come back better next weekend." - Head Coach Jess O'Donnell
» "'Incredible' is the only word I can think of. She went to work over break and it's obvious. She's been very vocal about wanting to hit and help the team offensively and she's been a hard one to not keep in the lineup." - O'Donnell on Rachel Marsden
» "It feels good, definitely a good confidence builder going forward, but I still have a lot of things to work on. The first game was easy to pitch with all the run support and I have my offense to thank for that, and in the second game I just kept my head down, kept swinging and pitching and I knew my defense would do the work behind me, and I knew they would come through with the bats as well." - Junior Pitcher Rachel Marsden
» "We came out of the gates swinging the bat really well, we saw a lot of amazing plays, our pitchers honed in and we played through all conditions, so we have a lot of great things. We're looking at the things we can work on as well, and we're looking at those, turning around and coming back next weekend." - Graduate Outfielder Mekenzie Saban
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME - GAME 1
» The Red Flash locked down an early lead after Lindsay Ward hit a two-run home run — her first of the season — against IUPUI's Madison Bryant. Saint Francis would add another after an IUPUI error.
» After the Jaguars held Saint Francis in the second, the Red Flash exploded for five runs in the third inning, kickstarted by a RBI single by Ashley Wruble. Lexi Hernandez would ground out during the next at-bat, allowing Rachel Marsden to score.
» The following at-bat, Sydney Baker drove in two runs on her first home run of the year. Mekenzie Saban would follow that with a solo home run.
» Saint Francis added another five-spot in the fourth. Emily Nunez scored on a wild pitch to bring in the inning's first run. Rylee Evans scored on a sacrifice fly by Ashley Wruble in the next at-bat.
» Sydney Baker and Mekenzie Saban later struck for three combined runs off two doubles to finish the Red Flash's scoring.
» Rachel Marsden held IUPUI scoreless through the five-inning affair, leading to her second shutout win of the season.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME - GAME 2
» Appalachian State took an early 1-0 lead in Game Two after Mary Pierce Barnes singled off Grace Vesco in the first.
» Rachel Marsden tied the game in the bottom of the second with a solo home run, marking her second home run of the season.
» Appalachian State, however, would plate five runs in the third off three singles. The Mountaineers would add three more runs over the next three innings.
» Saint Francis mounted four runs in the bottom of the fifth to bring the Red Flash within two. Olivia Ulam singled home two runs, Jordan Frank would follow that with a RBI double and Ulam scored on a fielding error by Appalachian State.
» Marsden struck again in the bottom of the seventh inning by hitting her second home run of the game and third for the weekend, a two-run shot that scored both her and Ulam.
» The Saint Francis comeback would fall short as Sydney Baker struck out swinging to end the game.
FLASH NUGGETS
» Rachel Marsden set season highs in hits, home runs and RBI against Appalachian State, and now leads the Red Flash with three home runs this season. Marsden also becomes the first pitcher in the NEC this season to win a game on the mound and hit a home run in the same day.
» After going 1-for-6 on Saturday, Olivia Ulam posted a 4-for-5 day at the plate on Sunday, giving her the best batting average on the team (.455).
» Jordan Pietrzykoski collected three multi-hit performances this weekend and is now 6-for-14 on the season.
» Four Red Flash hitters eclipsed their first hit of the season on Sunday: Ashley Orischak, Sydney Baker, Lauren Aubry and Lexi Hernandez.
» Three Red Flash hitters tallied their first home run on Sunday: Sydney Baker, Mekenzie Saban and Lindsay Ward.
» Fourteen Red Flash players played at some point this weekend, while 10 players started.
UP NEXT
» Saint Francis (3-2, 0-0) returns to action next weekend at the Furman Tournament in Greenville, S.C., where they'll play Georgetown on Friday with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
