LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball opens the 2023 conference season against Stonehill with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Monday, March 20 and one game on Tuesday, March 21. The series was originally scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, but was rescheduled due to weather concerns.
 
Saint Francis Quick Hits
» Ashley Wruble leads Saint Francis with a .328 batting average and 10 RBIs. She is 11-for-22 over the last seven games and is tied for the team lead with five multi-hit games this season. During Saint Francis' non-conference tournament weekends, Wruble was a one-time NEC Player of the Week and three-time Prime Performer.
» Rachel Marsden produced her most efficient start of the season with four hits and no walks allowed in a shutout victory over Towson. She lowered her ERA to a team-best 3.05 mark and has 71 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched. She also leads Saint Francis with 10 runs scored, three doubles and two home runs.
» Brianna Sawyers produced her second multi-hit game of the season against Towson and leads Saint Francis with three doubles and two triples.

Last Time Out
Saint Francis split a midweek doubleheader at Towson with a 9-5 loss in game one and 3-0 win in game two. In the victory, the game was scoreless through the first four innings before Sawyers and Pietrzykoski hit back-to-back RBI doubles, followed by an Olivia Ulam single, to open a 3-0 lead in the fifth. During the loss, Saint Francis jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning before Towson tied the game in the bottom half with a three-run home run. The Tigers opened a 5-3 lead in the second inning before Saint Francis tied the game in the fifth. Towson pulled away for the win with a three-run fifth inning and added one more in the sixth.
 
Scouting Stonehill
The Skyhawks enter their conference opener with an 0-14 overall record and are the only NEC team without a win so far this season. Stonehill was shutout in eight of its game and has only scored seven total runs this season. Alex Adinolfi leads qualified Stonehill players with a .194 batting average, .242 on-base percentage and three doubles. Natalie Bottiglieri has the only Skyhawks' home run this season and is the only player with two RBIs. Pitcher Skylar Brandemarte carries a 6.63 ERA and leads the team with 20 strikeouts in 44.1 innings pitched.
 
All-Time vs. Stonehill
This series marks the first meeting between Saint Francis and Stonehill in program history. Stonehill reclassified to Division I in the summer of 2022. Against the last NEC team to reclassify to Division I, Merrimack, Saint Francis owns a 7-0 record.
 
Around the NEC
All conference series started on Saturday, except Saint Francis vs. Stonehill. Merrimack took both games against Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut won both against Wagner and LIU took both against Fairleigh Dickinson. The three series played will all conclude on Sunday afternoon.

Next
Saint Francis has its first conference road trip with a three-game series at LIU March 25-26.