LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball split a Friday doubleheader against Central Connecticut with a 2-1 win in game two and a 2-1 loss in game one.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Rachel Marsden (8-11) earned the victory in game two after she allowed one unearned run on two hits with two walks and eight strikeouts. She went 2-for-6 at the plate.
» Savannah Nash went 4-for-5 with one walk for a .833 on-base percentage.
» Olivia Ulam and Ashley Wruble each hit one solo home run during the doubleheader.
» Grace Vesco (11-11) allowed two runs on four hits with four walks and 13 strikeouts in a game one loss.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME ONE
» Wruble started the scoring in game one with a solo home run to left field that gave Saint Francis a 1-0 lead in the second inning.
» Central Connecticut responded with two one-run singles in the third inning and took a 2-1 lead.
» In the game, Vesco recorded her 10th strikeout through just five innings and ended with 13 in the seven-inning game. With Saint Francis only able to produce two hits and score no runs in the final five innings, Central Connecticut earned its victory.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME TWO
» Central Connecticut opened the scoring with a one-run single in the first inning and took a 1-0 lead. Ulam responded in the bottom half with a game-tying solo home run.
» After three scoreless innings, Ulam hit a sacrifice fly that drove in Lauren Aubry and gave Saint Francis a 2-1 lead in the fifth.
» After the Blue Devils loaded the bases in the seventh, Marsden produced a double play when Aubry caught a fly ball and threw to second and secured the victory.

FLASH NUGGETS
» Vesco is now fourth in single-season program history with 163 strikeouts this season. She holds three of the top five marks with a program-record 196 in 2021 and fifth-best 162 in 2022. Her career total is now 564, which is 11 shy of Laura Caldwell's 575 from 2006-09.
» Marsden eclipsed the 400-strikeout mark in her career and now stands at 402, which is 13 shy of fifth in program history.
» Wruble's home run was her second of the season and first since Feb. 24 against Bucknell – a 30-game span.
» Nash extended her hitting streak to five games, which is the longest current streak by a Red Flash player.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis and Central Connecticut conclude the series on Saturday at 10 a.m. and will mark the Red Flash Senior Day.