LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball has its first doubleheader against the same opponent this season with a Wednesday, March 15 matchup at Towson. The games are scheduled for 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Ashley Wruble concluded the USF Tournament 7-for-15 and raised her season batting average to .300. She is 18-for-49 (.367) since she went hitless in her first 11 at-bats of the season. She ranks second on the team with eight runs scored and seven RBIs and is one of five Saint Francis players with a home run this season.
» Tessa Thompson raised her season batting average to .333 after she went 5-for-10 at the USF Tournament. She is tied for the team-lead with two home runs and is third with six RBIs. She paces Red Flash freshmen in runs scored, home runs and RBIs.
» Rachel Marsden continues to lead Saint Francis with 10 runs scored, two home runs and eight RBIs. On the mound, she lowered her season ERA to 3.46 with one earned run allowed on six hits with six strikeouts in six innings against Illinois.

Last Time Out
Saint Francis dropped four of its five games played at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla. Saint Francis won its only game 6-4 over Marist behind a five-run first inning. In the game, Marist had the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh inning and Grace Vesco produced a game-ending flyout. In its 9-6 loss to South Florida, Saint Francis opened a 3-0 lead in the first inning followed by four Bulls' runs in the bottom half. After South Florida held a 6-3 lead in the fifth, Saint Francis tied the game behind a two-run single from Wruble and one-run single from Thompson. The Bulls then scored three runs total in the fifth and sixth innings to earn the victory. Against Penn State, Thompson hit a three-run home run to put Saint Francis up 3-0 in the second inning before the Nittany Lions responded with eight in the bottom half.
 
Scouting Towson
The Tigers enter Wednesday's doubleheader with an 8-8 overall and 0-3 conference record after they were swept in a three-game series against UNCW. A pair of Towson Players, Madyson Peters and Mackenzie Lake, each hit over .400 this season. Peters leads the team with seven doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs, while Lake leads the team with 12 runs scored, four triples and is second with four doubles and 11 RBIs. Maddie Gardner leads the pitching staff with a 3.15 ERA, 33 strikeouts and a .262 batting average against in 45.2 innings pitched. She is followed by Erin Brown's 3.65 ERA, 11 strikeouts and .274 batting average against in 37 innings pitched. Gardner is a one-time CAA Pitcher of the Week and Addie Ferguson is a one-time CAA Rookie of the Week selection this season.
 
All-Time vs. Towson
Towson owns a 17-5 all-time record over Saint Francis since the first meeting in 1990 and is 17-3 over Saint Francis since the Red Flash won the first two meetings. The two programs met once under head coach Jessica O'Donnell – a 4-3 Towson victory in 2020. Four Saint Francis players, Madeline Barnes, Emily Nunez, Vesco and Wruble, all appeared in the last game played. Towson is on a current seven-game winning streak over Saint Francis.
 
Around the NEC
Through the first month of the season, LIU currently sits atop the NEC standings with a 13-13 record and is the only above-.500 team. Sacred Heart follows in the standings at 7-8 and Fairleigh Dickinson is next at 7-10. Central Connecticut carries a 4-6 record, Saint Francis is 7-14, Wagner is 2-10, Merrimack is 0-1 and Stonehill is 0-14. Five of the eight NEC teams will be in non-conference action either Wednesday or Thursday ahead of Saturday's conference openers.

Next
Saint Francis begins conference play with a three-game series at home against Stonehill beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday, March 18.