Francia Throws No-Hitter in Five Innings Against Rider After St. John’s Downs Saint Louis in Extra Innings

Friday, February 28

Kennesaw, Ga. (Bailey Park)

10 a.m.

St. John's University

8-7-1

Saint Louis

5-6

St. John's

Saint Louis

Francia Throws No-Hitter in Five Innings Against Rider After St. John’s Downs Saint Louis in Extra Innings

2/28/2025 6:41:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score (Saint Louis)Box Score (Rider)

Loreley Francia tosses the first no-hitter of her career to help the Red Storm start 2-0 in the Kennesaw State Tournament

By: Josh McLaren

KENNESAW, Ga. – The St. John's softball team (9-7-1) opened the Kennesaw State Tournament by taking down Saint Louis in extra innings ahead of starting pitcher Loreley Francia putting together a dominant performance against Rider, tossing a run-rule no-hitter.

The Johnnies began the day by rallying to force extra innings with the Billikens before taking the game in the eighth inning by a score of 4-3. Francia then tossed a run-rule no-hitter against the Broncos as the Red Storm came away with an 8-0 triumph in five innings.

Francia allowed just one base runner on an error in five flawless innings, striking out 12 batters in the process. The no-hitter marks the first of the junior's career as she came just one out shy of no-hitting Brown in seven innings last weekend. Francia also appeared in the day's first game, recording her first save of the year by sitting down all three batters she faced. Last week's BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week has been dominant to start the 2025 season, tallying 68 strikeouts and allowing just eight earned runs in 52.2 innings pitched, which is good for a 1.06 ERA.

St. John's last no-hitter came at the hands of game one starter Ana Serafinko, who no-hit DePaul in five innings last season on March 28, 2024. Serafinko picked up her third win inside the circle against Saint Louis, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out a whopping 14 batters in seven innings of work. The Chino Hills, Calif., product is tied at 68 strikeouts with Francia for the team lead and has maintained a 2.80 ERA in 45 innings pitched to open the season.

Elanna Lysiak, Cassidy Stouffer and London Jarrard each tallied four hits between the two games, pacing the Red Storm offense.

Lysiak knotted the opening contest in the fifth inning by crushing her second home run of the season with a two-run shot to center field. In the latter game, Lysiak notched a double along with an RBI single. The outfielder is now tied for the team lead in home runs and is second in RBIs with eight on the season.

Stouffer had a career game against Rider, going 4-for-4, which included her first longball of the season in the first inning. The junior added another RBI on her third single of the contest to finish the game with three runs scored and three RBIs. Stouffer is now batting .366 with 15 hits, one home run and seven RBIs.

Jarrard continued to be an RBI machine for the Johnnies, racking up four between the two contests. Against the Billikens, Jarrard gave the Red Storm its first lead in the top of the eighth with an RBI double. Later, against the Broncos, the shortstop delivered the game-winning hit sending a two-RBI double into left-center to seal the run-rule victory. Jarrard has already accumulated 19 RBIs and is batting .382 with four doubles and a pair of homers to begin the year.

Jess Bianco picked up where she left off last weekend, reaching base five times in the two games. The lead-off hitter drew three combined walks and notched a pair of hits against Rider. Bianco crossed the plate four times on the day to up her team-high total to 18 runs scored on the season. The Cherry Hill, N.J., product leads St. John's with a .444 batting average and 24 hits.

Game 1

Bianco and Stouffer led off the opening contest with a pair of walks and orchestrated a double steal to put runners on second and third with one out for the Red Storm. However, Billikens' starter Taylor Hochman got out of the early jam, recording the next two outs to keep the score 0-0.

Saint Louis (5-6) cracked the scoreboard first in the bottom of the second on a Scout Gallagher RBI double to center field, 1-0. Serafinko battled back inside the circle, striking out a pair to bring her total to five strikeouts, ending the inning and limiting the damage.

In the top of the third, Lysiak supplied the Johnnies with their first hit of the contest, reaching on an infield single. Lysiak then swiped second before Hochman sat down the next three batters to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of Saint Louis.

The Billikens added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth when Abby Mallo led off the frame with a solo home run to left field, 2-0. Serafinko answered back by striking out two more batters to bring her total to nine punchouts through four innings.

St. John's knotted the game in the top of the fifth, with Melanie Santos reaching on an error before Lysiak crushed a two-run home run to center field, evening the score at 2-2.

Serafinko settled into the circle as the game went on, tossing three consecutive scoreless innings while upping her strikeout total to 14, sending the contest into extra innings.

With Bianco placed on second base to start the eighth, Jarrard drilled a hard ground ball to second that deflected off the second baseman into right field for a double, plating Bianco and giving the Red Storm a 3-2 advantage. Anese Thompson then drew a walk before Sarah Post delivered a pinch-hit RBI single to increase St. John's lead to 4-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Jane Kaniecki led off with an RBI single to score the runner on second, cutting into the Johnnies' lead, 4-3. Francia then entered in relief, punching out the next two batters before producing a weak pop-out in foul ground to earn the save and seal the 4-3 victory for the Red Storm.

Game 2

Francia started the contest against Rider (1-5) just as she ended the day's first game, striking out the side in the top of the first.

St. John's then jumped out to an early lead with Bianco drawing a lead-off walk before Stouffer smacked a two-run homer to right-center, giving the Red Storm a 2-0 advantage after the first inning of play.

In the circle, Fracnia kept it rolling, striking out a pair on her way to her second consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second.

The Red Storm offense continued to attack in the home half of the second when Natalie Casto led off with a walk. An out later, Bianco and Stouffer strung together a pair of singles to load the bases. Jarrard then hit a sacrifice fly to left field to bring home Casto and extend the St. John's lead to 3-0.

Francia continued to be unhittable in the third, striking out the side for the second time in the contest before adding another punchout in the fourth to bring her total to nine strikeouts, 3-0.

Bianco and Stouffer jumpstarted the offense once again in the bottom of the fourth, producing back-to-back singles. The bases became loaded when Jarrad was hit by a pitch for Lysiak who singled home Bianco, 4-0. Celia Macari brought home another on a fielder's choice to extend it to a five-run edge.

The Broncos had no answers for Francia in the top of the fifth as she struck out the side for the third time in the ballgame, upping her total to 12 punchouts on the day, 5-0.

Madison Konopka kicked off the bottom of the fifth with a bunt single to third base before swiping second and third, putting a runner in scoring position with no outs. Bianco then drew a walk before Stouffer tallied her fourth hit of the contest, slapping an RBI single down the left-field line, 6-0. With two on, Jarrard stepped to the plate and drilled a two-RBI double to left-center, enforcing the run-ahead rule to complete the no-hitter for Francia and give the Red Storm an 8-0 win.

St. John's will continue action in the Kennesaw State Tournament tomorrow when it takes on ETSU at 10 a.m. before battling Kennesaw State at 1 p.m. Live Stats for both games will be available on RedStormSports.com.