LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball defeated Sacred Heart 11-0 in five innings to earn a spot in the Northeast Conference Championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Grace Vesco (18-7) went four innings and allowed no runs on two hit with no walks and five strikeouts.
» Olivia Ulam went 1-for-2 with a grand slam and five total RBIs.
» Lexi Hernandez went 2-for-3 with a three-run home run.
» Rachel Marsden went 2-for-3 with a solo home run.
» Ashley Orischak went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a two-run home run.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Hernandez led the way with a three-run home run in the first inning, followed the next batter by a solo home run from Marsden, that opened a 4-0 Red Flash lead.
» Saint Francis then loaded the bases with no outs in the second before Ulam hit a grand slam to open an 8-0 lead.
» The Red Flash continued to pad the lead when Orischak hit a two-run home run with no outs in the third and opened a 10-0 lead. Saint Francis did its final damage of the inning when Ulam drove home Kaylie Walters on a groundout.
» With an 11-run lead, Saint Francis turned to Allie Braly on the mound in the fifth inning and she retired Sacred Heart in order to secure Saint Francis' trip to the NEC Championship.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
» Vesco set a program record with the 131st appearance of her collegiate career. She also elevated the Saint Francis pitching staff to second in single-season history with 326 strikeouts. The record is held by the 2023 staff at 343 strikeouts. Marsden and Vesco combined for 335 of those strikeouts last season.
» Ulam now has a grand slam in two of the three NEC Tournament appearances in her career – she hit one on May 12, 2022 against LIU. She now has 55 RBIs this season, which is two shy of the top five in program history.
» Hernandez has a home run in back-to-back games for the second time this season. She has seven home runs and 19 RBIs in the last 16 games played.
» Walters walked three times on Friday and moved to third in program history with 42 this season. Only Jordan Seneca in 2017-18 has more walks than Walters in a season.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis' opponent for the NEC Championship is still to be determined based on two more games to be played. The game is currently scheduled for Saturday, May 11 at 3 p.m. and is subject to change due to inclement weather in the forecast.