LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball fell to Penn State 2-1 on Tuesday. The victory moved the Red Flash and Nittany Lions to an even 9-9 record against each other since 2008.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Lindsay Ward produced Saint Francis' only run with her solo home run in the second inning.
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Jordan Frank went 2-for-3 with one double.
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Mekenzie Saban and
Madeline Barnes each had one hit in the game.
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Rachel Marsden went four innings and allowed two runs on five hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
» Penn State's Mel Coombs went 1-for-3 and produced the eventual game-winning RBI double.
FLASH QUOTES
"I'm proud of our pitchers for making adjustments and understanding the strike zone. Lindsay did a phenomenal job offensively and they had to make some amazing plays offensively on two of her balls. I hope she continues to bring that this weekend."
– Head coach Jessica O'Donnell
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Penn State started their turn at-bat with three straight hits that resulted in the bases loaded with no outs. Lexie Black hit a sacrifice fly and gave Penn State a 1-0 lead before Marsden escaped the inning.
» Ward responded in the second inning with a solo home run to left field that tied the game 1-1. Penn State's Coombs immediately got the run back with back-to-back doubles in the second inning and took a 2-1 lead.
» Saint Francis produced the only four hits from the third until the end of the sixth inning. The Nittany Lions walked three times over their final two turns at-bat.
» With a chance to respond in the seventh inning, Saint Francis went down in order as Penn State clinched its 2-1 victory.
FLASH NUGGETS
» Ward hit her third home run of the season and a first since a Feb. 20 game against South Dakota.
» Marsden and
Grace Vesco held the Nittany Lions hitless over their final four turns at-bat.
» With one strikeout in relief, Vesco is now one strikeout shy of 300 in her career.
UP NEXT
Saint Francis resumes conference play with a three-game series against Central Connecticut starting Saturday, March 26 at 1 p.m.
