LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball's season came to an end in the Northeast Conference Tournament after a 2-1 defeat of Central Connecticut and 7-3 loss to LIU in the second elimination game.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
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Rachel Marsden (13-13) pitched 11 innings, all in relief, and allowed five runs on five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in both games combined.
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Ashley Wruble went 3-for-6 with one run scored, which came against LIU.
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Jordan Pietrzykoski hit a solo home run in the second game.
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Lauren Aubry produced a multi-hit game, 2-for-3, against LIU.
TURNING POINTS OF GAME ONE
» Central Connecticut scored the first run of the game on an RBI single in the first inning. In the bottom half, the Blue Devils committed an error that drove in two Red Flash runs.
» Marsden replaced Vesco with two runners on and no outs in the second inning and escaped the jam with three straight outs.
» Marsden, Vesco and Central Connecticut pitcher Kaylee Whittaker combined to allow three runs in the first five innings.
» Central Connecticut was held hitless in the final two innings of the game before Saint Francis clinched its 2-1 victory.
TURNING POINTS OF GAME TWO
» LIU took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after a two-run single with the bases loaded. Vesco was able to limit the damage with a strikeout looking to end the inning.
» Pietrzykoski immediately responded with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first and cut the deficit to 2-1. After the second inning, Marsden replaced Vesco in the third inning.
» After a scoreless half inning from Marsden, Saint Francis took a 3-2 lead in the third with back-to-back two-out singles from
Brianna Sawyers and
Savannah Nash.
» After two scoreless innings, LIU broke through for five runs in the sixth with a two-run double and a three-run home run. With Saint Francis unable to respond, LIU clinched the NEC Championship game and the NEC automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.
FLASH NUGGETS
» The loss to LIU snapped Saint Francis conference-record five straight titles from 2017-22.
» During the first game, Marsden recorded the 100th hit of her collegiate career on a single.
» The 2023 pitching staff ended with a program-record 343 strikeouts combined.
UP NEXT
Saint Francis' 2023 season ended with a 26-24 overall record and 15-6 record in the NEC for the Regular Season title.
