BLACKSBURG, Va. – Saint Francis University softball's season came to an end with a 4-0 loss to Miami (Ohio) in the NCAA Regionals. The stretch marked a five-year streak Saint Francis appeared in an NCAA Regional.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Mekenzie Saban went 2-for-3 with two singles.
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Jordan Pietrzykoski,
Lindsay Ward and
Madeline Barnes each recorded one hit.
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Grace Vesco started the game and went three innings and allowed three runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
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Rachel Marsden pitched three innings in relief and allowed one run on two hits with one walk and one strikeout.
» Miami produced three solo home runs in the game on five hits.
FLASH QUOTES
"I want to say how thankful and grateful I am for everyone at Virginia Tech. They put on such a first-class experience and a great regional. This has been one of our favorite, with how everything went, and we are so grateful."
– Head coach Jessica O'Donnell on playing in Blacksburg, Va.
"There has been a constant theme of if we get knocked down, we get back up. I'm super proud of this team for always fighting, believing and setting their goal and eyes on what they want and working towards it. I can say everyone single one of these players is a great teammate. Not one of them is selfish or focuses on themselves more than the team. This is a great group of people and everything we've accomplished this season is owed to them. "
– Head coach Jessica O'Donnell on playing in Blacksburg, Va.
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Saint Francis produced two baserunners in the first inning but both were stranded on first and second. Miami followed with the first two runs of the game when Holly Blaska and Riley Coyne each hit a solo home run and gave the RedHawks a 2-0 lead.
» The RedHawks extended the lead to 3-0 in the third with an RBI single and added to the lead with a solo home run in the fourth.
» Saban and Pietrzykoski led off the sixth inning with back-to-back hits but Saint Francis could not drive in a run.
» With Saint Francis unable to score a run, Miami clinched its 4-0 victory to stay alive in the Blacksburg Regional.
FLASH NUGGETS
» Saban ended her Saint Francis career with the most hits (251), doubles (68), finished second in batting average (.378) and third in runs scored (177) and triples (11). She tied her own Northeast Conference and program single-season record with 23 doubles this season.
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Jordan Frank finished her Saint Francis career with four NEC titles and 226 starts in center field.
» The 2022 Red Flash team's 37 wins are the fourth most in program history.
» Saint Francis set an NEC record with five straight NEC championship victories.
UP NEXT
Saint Francis' season came to an end in the NCAA Regionals for the fifth season in a row, as the Red Flash will look towards a sixth straight NEC title in 2023.
