CHARLESTON, S.C. – Saint Francis University softball defeated Siena 4-1 and Charleston Southern 3-2 in extra innings to earn a sweep of its opening day games.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
» Grace Vesco (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit with no walks and eight strikeouts.
» Rachel Marsden (1-0) allowed one run on four hits with no walks and six strikeouts.
» Savannah Nash went 4-for-5 with one run scored, one double, one triple and three RBIs.
» Kaylie Walters went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, three walks and one stolen base.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME ONE
» Nash started the scoring with a two-out, two-run single in the first inning that drove home Olivia Ulam and Walters.
» Ulam added to the lead with a double and Walters scored her second run of the game in the third inning. Orischak followed in the fifth with an RBI double that extended the lead to 4-0.
» Siena got a run back with an infield single in the seventh inning before Allie Braly earned her first collegiate save to clinch the 4-1 victory.
 
TURNING POINTS OF GAME TWO
» Vesco and Charleston Southern pitcher Annah Junge allowed one combined hit through the first three innings before Saint Francis broke through with two hits in the fourth. Nash hit an RBI triple and scored during an error on the play to open a 2-0 lead in the fourth.
» After Vesco took a perfect game into the sixth, Charleston Southern tied the game at two behind a Red Flash error and sacrifice fly.
» With the international tiebreaker in affect, Ashley Wruble drove in Lauren Aubry in the eighth inning to open a 3-2 lead. Vesco shut the door on the Buccaneers in the eighth to earn the extra inning victory.
 
FLASH NUGGETS
» Head coach Beth Krysiak earned her first victory at Saint Francis and first Division I head coach win.
» Marsden became the third Red Flash player with at least 50 career victories. She raised her career strikeout total to 444, which is currently fifth in program history, and four shy of sole possession of third.
» Vesco threw the seventh one-hitter of her career. She has 12 total games allowing one or fewer runs. With eight strikeouts, Vesco now has 594 in her career.
» Nash earned the first three-hit game of her career and raised her career total to seven multi-hit games.
 

UP NEXT
Saint Francis returns to the field for two games on Saturday, Feb. 10 starting with Bellarmine at 12:30 p.m.