LEWISBURG, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball took a doubleheader sweep over Bucknell on Tuesday. The Red Flash defeated the Bison 6-3 in game one and 9-0 in game two.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Lindsay Ward hit three home runs and drove in six runs in seven plate appearances.
» Rachel Marsden pitched a complete-game shutout and allowed six hits with three strikeouts. She led the Red Flash at the plate with a .500 batting average and added two runs, two doubles and three RBIs.
» Jordan Frank hit .500, scored four runs and was 2-for-2 in stolen base attempts.
» Mekenzie Saban scored one run, hit two doubles, one triple and drove in three runs.
» Bucknell's Zoie Smith tallied four hits and one RBI.
 
FLASH QUOTES
"All week we've been working on our approaches and seeing the ball well. Olivia [Ulam] had a great at-bat before each of my home runs and it helps when I can see where the ball is being pitched. Kudos to her because she had a few amazing at-bats ahead of me."– Senior Ward on her three home run day.
 
"We had almost a week off and it was good to get back out there and see different pitchers to get more live at-bats. Lindsay was outstanding today and I've seen the consistency in practice leading up to this. She was someone who was really hungry and wanted to continue to make adjustments to see the ball better." – Head coach Jessica O'Donnell on getting back on the field and Ward's three home run day.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME – GAME 1
» Ward started the scoring for Saint Francis with a two-run home run to center field in the first inning and gave the Red Flash an early 2-0 lead. Bucknell responded with an infield single that cut the Saint Francis lead to 2-1.
» In the second inning, Saban hit a two-run triple with two outs and extended the lead to 4-1. Marsden added to the Red Flash lead with a sacrifice fly in the third inning as they led 5-1.
» After two scoreless innings, Sydney Baker drove in Frank with an infield single and extended the lead to 6-1. In the bottom of the sixth, Bucknell scored two runs on back-to-back singles and cut the deficit to 6-3.
» Pietrzykoski turned a double play in the bottom of the seventh to end the game and seal Saint Francis' 6-3 game one victory.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME – GAME 2
» After two scoreless innings to start game two, Pietrzykoski drove in Saban with a two-out triple to left center field and gave the Red Flash a 1-0 lead.
» In the fourth inning, Marsden drove in the game's second run on a double and extended the Red Flash lead to 2-0.
» Saint Francis opened the game up with five runs in the final two innings. Ward hit a two-run home run in each of the sixth and seventh innings. Saban and Marsden each hit an RBI double in the sixth and Frank scored on an error to round out the Red Flash scoring.
» With Bucknell unable to score a run, Marsden clinched her shutout 9-0 win in game two.

FLASH NUGGETS
» With her triple in game one, Saban moved to tied-fourth in program history with nine-career triples. She extended her career program-record doubles total to 58.
» Ward entered Tuesday with four home runs this season in 30 games played. She had 12 home runs in 355-career at-bats between Cleveland State and Saint Francis before producing three home runs in seven at-bats against Bucknell.
» Grace Vesco threw strikeout No. 100 of the season in game one and Marsden fell one shy of also hitting the century mark. Vesco is nine strikeouts away from 348 in her career, which would put her tied for fifth in program history.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis returns home to host Merrimack for a three-game series starting with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Thursday, April 14.