LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball defeated Mount St. Mary's 8-6 to advance to the Northeast Conference Championship on Saturday at 12 p.m. Madeline Barnes hit a go-ahead two-run single in the sixth inning that propelled the Red Flash to the win.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Barnes went 1-for-2 with two RBIs on the go-ahead sixth-inning hit.
» Lindsay Ward went 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.
» Jordan Pietrzykoski went 3-for-4 with one double and two runs scored.
» Jordan Frank and Rachel Marsden each hit a home run.
» Grace Vesco earned the victory after she came in relief and went 2.2 innings with no runs on two hits and one strikeout.
» Abigayle Perry went 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored, two RBIs and one walk.
 
FLASH QUOTES
"I was looking for an outside pitch since she'd been throwing pitches out there and I just wanted to hit the ball hard. This game shows how much we play for each other and the fight we have. We have to come out strong tomorrow and if we play our game, I think we'll get the outcome we want." – Junior Barnes on her go-ahead hit and how the team fights together.
 
"Our team always talks about how if we're down, we're never out. This was an entire team effort from top to bottom and our lineup was hot, which is so exciting. We pride ourselves on having a championship mindset and we're excited to play in these situations." – Senior Ward on the team's ability to come back.
 
"Staying calm is the biggest thing for us and not letting the moment get too big. I hope today shows that we have all the confidence in the world in all of our hitters to take care of what they need to. I'm proud of them for all coming through today. That was an incredible game and Mount St. Mary's is a very good team. We need to connect on all cylendars tomorrow if we want to win the championship. When you get to the championship you can't make any mistakes and we need to make sure we take care of that." – Head coach Jessica O'Donnell on the team's comeback victory and what they need to do in the championship game.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Saint Francis scored the first run when Ward hit an RBI double to center field that drove in Pietrzykoski. Rachel Marsden followed up with a solo home run in the second inning and gave Saint Francis a 2-0 lead.
» Mount St. Mary's Perry tied the game in the third inning with a two-run home run. Frank gave Saint Francis a two-run lead back with a home run in the third after drove in Olivia Ulam.
» The Mountaineers produced a four-run fifth inning with two two-run singles from Gilliano and King and took a 6-4 lead. Ward hit an RBI double in the fifth inning that drove in Pietrzykoski and cut the deficit to 6-5.
» In the sixth inning, Saint Francis loaded the bases with no outs before Barnes hit a go-ahead two-run single that gave Saint Francis a 7-6 lead. Mekenzie Saban added another run with a sacrifice fly that extended the lead to 8-6.
» Mount St. Mary's produced two baserunners in the seventh inning but Vesco closed the game with a groundout to send Saint Francis to the championship on Saturday.

FLASH NUGGETS
» Saint Francis has qualified for the NEC championship game for the fifth consecutive season and has won the first two games in each year.
» Ashley Wruble leads Saint Francis with a .750 batting average and .875 on-base percentage through the first two games of the tournament.
» Pietrzykoski has a .571 batting average and leads Saint Francis with four runs scored.  

UP NEXT
Saint Francis will face one of Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU or Mount St. Mary's in the championship on Saturday at 12 p.m. If Saint Francis loses the first game, the teams will play a final game at 3 p.m. to determine the NEC winner.