LORETTO, Pa. – Saint Francis University softball earned its sixth Northeast Conference Tournament Championship in the last seven seasons in a 12-0 victory in five innings over Central Connecticut.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Grace Vesco (19-7) went five innings and allowed no runs on one hit with two walks and seven strikeouts.
» Rachel Marsden went 2-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs.
» Lexi Hernandez went 1-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs.
» Ashley Orischak went 2-for-2 with one run scored, one triple, one home run and two RBIs.
 
TURNING POINTS OF THE GAME
» Orischak ignited the Red Flash offense with a two-out RBI triple in the second inning for a 1-0 lead. Saint Francis added to the lead when Wruble scored on a fielder's choice and Marsden hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
» Saint Francis continued the third inning scoring on a Sydney Baker RBI single and Aliya Garroway walked with the bases loaded that opened a 5-0 lead.
» Hernandez further padded the lead with an RBI single in the fourth, followed by a three-run Marsden home run and Orischak solo shot that opened a 10-0 lead.
» After a two-hour rain delay, Vesco returned to the mound and produced a groundout to strand two Central Connecticut baserunners.
» Savannah Nash and Marsden followed in the fifth inning with a solo home run each that opened a 12-0 lead.
» Vesco surrendered her first hit of the game on a leadoff double in the fifth but shut down the final three Blue Devils' batters in order to clinch the NEC Championship game.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
» Saint Francis has now won six of the last seven NEC titles dating back to 2017. During the stretch, Saint Francis is 19-3 in tournament games.
» The Red Flash completed a perfect 27-0 record against NEC opponents this season and earned 12 run-rule victories. Saint Francis also shutout an NEC opponent 14 times this season.
» Hernandez was named the NEC Tournament MVP after she hit .455 with five runs scored, two home runs and seven RBIs in three games. She recorded at least two RBIs in every game.
» Marsden, Orischak and Vesco earned NEC All-Tournament Team honors.

UP NEXT
Saint Francis will find out its NCAA Regionals destination during the 2024 NCAA Softball Division I Selection Show on Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.