WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Saint Francis softball captured its third victory of the season against NEC foe Mercyhurst in game one of the midweek doubleheader, winning 10-6 and losing 4-2 in the second game. Sophomore Sofia Zielinski led the way for the Red Flash in the doubleheader, recording two RBIs on five hits in six at-bats.
FLASH MOMENTS
Entering the bottom of the second inning, the Red Flash trailed the Lakers 4-0. With two outs in the frame, freshman Olivia Holtzman ignited a rally with an RBI single to score Sofia Zielinski, cutting Mercyhurst's lead to 4-1. From there, Saint Francis recorded three more hits — from junior Aliya Garroway, freshman Olivia Hood, and Holtzman — and pushed across four runs to take a 5-4 lead. The Red Flash added on in the next inning as junior Marianne Labelle and Holtzman logged their fifth and sixth RBIs of the year, extending the advantage to 7-4.
Saint Francis sealed the game-one win in the bottom of the sixth. Zielinski collected her 31st RBI of the season with a single to the right side, and Labelle followed with a groundout that brought senior Annabelle Farmer home from third, setting the final at 10-6.
After a quiet stretch to start game two, Saint Francis broke through twice. Freshman Zoe Kesterson delivered her first RBI single of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning to make it 4-1. Two innings later, Morgan Pasternak launched a solo shot to left-center field, providing the Red Flash's final run in the 4-2 loss.
FLASH NUGGETSÂ
During today's doubleheader, freshman Ella Zoss earned her first win of the season. Over 5.1 innings, she held the Lakers to two runs on two hits while recording one strikeout, bringing her season total to 14.
With her two hits in the twin bill, Garroway extended her on-base streak to an impressive 24 consecutive games. The last time she failed to reach base was against Quinnipiac on Feb. 20 at the Battle of the Bay tournament in Hampton, Va. Additionally, Zielinski pushed her hitting streak to 13 games after collecting five hits in the doubleheader.
ON DECK
The Saint Francis softball team returns to action Saturday, April 11, traveling to Stonehill for a three-game series at Fr. Gartland Field in North Easton, Mass. Game one of the doubleheader begins at 1 p.m.
