The Series: Towson Tigers (8-8, 0-3 CAA) vs. Saint Francis University (7-14, 0-0 NEC)
Where: Tiger Softball Stadium – Towson, Md.
When: Wednesday, March 15 – Double header starting at 1:00 p.m.
Broadcast: Live stream on FloSports, live stats at TowsonTigers.com.

TOWSON, Md. – Towson softball begins a seven-game homestand on Wednesday with a doubleheader against Saint Francis University at Tiger Softball Stadium. The Tigers are coming off a 2-3 week that saw the Tigers sweep a doubleheader against Maryland Eastern Shore before being swept by UNCW to open CAA play.

The Tigers held a brief 3-1 lead in game one against the Seahawks before UNCW scored eight unanswered to take game one 9-3 and then swept the day with a 9-2 win in game two. Towson battled back in game three after being down 4-0 to tie it in the fourth. They once again tied the game in the fifth, but UNCW had a walk-off double in the seventh to earn the series sweep with a 6-5 win.
Madyson Peters leads the Tigers with a .404 batting average with a team-best 21 hits, seven doubles, two home runs and 13 RBIs. Mackenzie Lake is hitting right at .400, one of six Tigers batting .300 or better. In the circle, Maddie Gardner leads the pitching staff with a 2.45 EAR and 33 strikeouts. As a unit, the pitching staff has a 2.65 ERA and 53 strikeouts with 11 complete games.

The Red Flash and Tigers have met just four times prior to Wednesday with the Tigers leading the all-time series 4-0. The two last met in 2020 where the Tigers took a 4-3 decision in Spartanburg, S.C. The Tigers and Red Flash have played twice on a neutral field and twice in Towson.

SCOUTING THE RED FLASH:
Saint Francis comes to Towson at 7-14 on the year having lost their last three games against Florida Gulf Coast, Illinois and South Florida. The Red Flash have yet to play a home game. Ashley Wruble leads the team with a .300 batting average with a team-best 18 hits. Rachel Marsden has driven in a team-high eight runs with two home runs. Grace Vesco leads the pitching staff with 77 strikeouts and a 3.23 ERA.

NEWCOMERS:
Towson will have 10 newcomers suit up in the Black and Gold for the 2023 season. Eight of the ten newcomers are freshman who will be making their collegiate debuts, joining a pair of DI transfers in Erin Brown (Thousand Oak, Calif./La Reina/St. John's) and Maddie Gardner (Sun Prairie, Wisc./Sun Prairie/South Florida).

Brown comes to Towson from St. John's University where she made 46 appearances in the circle with 25 starts throwing 173.2 innings. She amassed an 11-20 record with nine complete games, three shutouts and two saves. Her best season came during the Covid shortened 2020 campaign, going 5-6 with a 2.95 ERA in 61.2 innings.

Gardner made six appearances in two seasons for USF in the circle. She sported a 1-0 record in five appearances in 2021, picking up a victory against Florida Atlantic in 2.0 innings of relief.

Alyssa Myint, Nadia Martyniuk, Cheyenne Beayon, Isabella Canesi, Cara Bohner, Addie Ferguson, Kellie Zoerb and Grace Franczyk will also suit up for the Tigers in 2023.

NEW LOOK PITCHING STAFF:
Towson returns just two pitchers who saw action in the 2022 season in Paige Kostick and Sydni Byers. Kostick saw action in seven games with four starts, tossing 28.1 innings with 11 strikeouts. Byers appeared in five games out of the bullpen. Also returning for the Tigers will be Morgan Wagner who missed the 2022 season due to an injury.

Three newcomers will join the pitching staff in freshman Cheyenne Beayon and transfers Erin Brown and Maddie Gardner. Beayon comes to Towson from Mount De Sales with Brown and Gardner transferring from St. John's University and University of South Florida. Brown made 46 career appearances for the Red Storm with nine complete games. Gardner made six appearances in her two seasons with the Bulls.

OFFENSIVE DEPTH:
The Tigers return four of their top five hitters from 2022, including offensive leader Briana Ramirez. Ramirez led Towson with a .379 batting average and a .434 slugging percentage a year ago. Ramirez finished second in the CAA in batting and will enter 2023 as the top returning hitter from a year ago while also finishing third in hits with 55 in 2022.

Mackenzie Lake, Sydni Byers, and Madyson Peters also return to help a Towson offense that hit .252 from the plate in 2022. Lake finished the year with a .303 batting average, leading the team with seven doubles and five home runs. Byers hit .256 tying Lake with seven doubles and team-best 25 RBIs. Peters went .245 from the dish with 27 hits and six doubles.

NEXT GAME:
Towson will continue their seven-game home swing with a three-game set against Charleston on Saturday and Sunday, March 18-19 at Tiger Softball Stadium. The two will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 12 p.m. with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. Sunday's game will air live on FloSports.