LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball won their fifth Northeast Conference title in a row after a 9-0 defeat of LIU. The win gives Saint Francis the longest championship winning streak in NEC history.  
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Grace Vesco pitched a complete game and allowed no runs on two hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. She was a perfect 3-0 in the NEC Championships.
» Lindsay Ward went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run, three runs scored and four RBIs.
» Mekenzie Saban went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and one walk.
» Ashley Wruble went 1-for-2 with one run scored and finished the NEC Tournament with an .800 on-base percentage.
 
FLASH QUOTES
"I'm so proud of each and every one of my teammates because everyone contributed this whole tournament. It's so reward to see everyone on this team succeed. The postseason is what we all play for and look forward to and this feels amazing." – Junior Vesco on the total team contributions that led to a fifth straight NEC Championship.
 
"Knowing Grace's history of being so dominant in the circle, we knew that she was going to take care of business. We try not to let the moment get too big even when things weren't entirely our way throughout the season. Our team views every game as special and we know we always have to show up and play our best softball." – Senior Ward on Vesco's outing and the team's mindset throughout the season.  
 
"This is really special, especially to play and win at home in front of our fans. I'm really proud of our team for never getting too down on ourselves when we faced adversity throughout the season. Grace is a really tough player and she is always going to continue fighting and that's what she did all tournament." – Head coach Jessica O'Donnell on the team's fifth straight title and Vesco's toughness.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Olivia Ulam singled in the first inning and Ward and Saban scored on a throwing error to give Saint Francis an early 1-0 lead.
» In the second inning Jordan Pietrzykoski hit a sacrifice fly before Lindsay Ward hit a three-run home run and opened a commanding 6-0 lead.
» The Sharks produced their first baserunners of the game in the fourth inning with a single and walk but only produced one more the rest of the game.
» Saban scored on an error, followed by a Ward RBI single and Ward scored on a wild pitch to give Saint Francis a 9-0 lead in the seventh.
» Vesco retired the final five batters she faced to clinch Saint Francis' fifth NEC Championship in a row.

FLASH NUGGETS
» With their fifth consecutive title, Saint Francis surpassed Robert Morris (1991-94) and LIU (1987-90) for the longest championship winning streaks in NEC history.
» Saint Francis is 15-1 during its run of five straight titles and went a combined 88-8 in regular-season conference play during the stretch.
» Vesco was named NEC Tournament MVP for the second year in a row. She finished with a 0.54 ERA, 3-0 record, one run allowed on eight hits with three walks and 17 strikeouts in 16.2 innings pitched.
» Ulam, Ward and Wruble Were all named to the All-Tournament team. Wruble hit .667 and produced a .800 on-base percentage. Ward went 5-for-10 with one double, two home runs and six RBIs. Ulam led the

UP NEXT
Saint Francis awaits its opponents for the NCAA Regionals during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPN2 at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 15.