Francia Pitches Shutout as St. John’s Downs DePaul, 8-0

Friday, April 3

Chicago, Ill. (Cacciatore Stadium)

1 p.m.

St. John's University

25-12, 6-5

DePaul

12-24, 3-11

St. John's

DePaul

Francia Pitches Shutout as St. John’s Downs DePaul, 8-0

4/3/2026 4:11:00 PM | Softball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The Red Storm has outscored the Blue Demons 19-1 across two meetings

CHICAGO — The St. John's softball team defeated DePaul, 8-0, in five innings on Friday afternoon at Cacciatore Stadium in the second game of its three-game BIG EAST series.

The performance marked the first time the Johnnies run-ruled opponents in back-to-back contests since March 2025, when they defeated Georgetown, 12-2, in five innings on March 15 and Manhattan, 13-5, in five innings on March 18.

The Red Storm (25-12, 6-5 BIG EAST) totaled eight runs on 11 hits while holding the Blue Demons (12-24, 3-11 BIG EAST) scoreless. Jess Bianco led the offense with a perfect 3-for-3 performance and three RBIs, while Makenna Meadows recorded two hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Madison Konopka and Natasha Limbani each added two hits, while Cassidy Stouffer drove in a run with a double.

Loreley Francia pitched a complete game shutout in the circle with six strikeouts, allowing just one hit, the least a Red Storm pitcher has allowed since Francia's no-hitter against Rider on Feb. 28, 2025. Friday's performance marked the Spring, Texas, native's third shutout of the season.

St. John's opened the scoring in the top of the first inning. Bianco singled to begin the game, stole second and later crossed the plate on a DePaul throwing error to give the Red Storm an early 1-0 advantage.

After both teams were held scoreless through the next two innings, the Johnnies extended their lead in the fourth. Stouffer doubled to right center to score Sarah Post, before Bianco delivered an RBI single. London Slade followed with a run-scoring groundout to make it 4-0.

The Johnnies continued to build their advantage in the fifth inning. Meadows singled to drive in Limbani before Konopka added an RBI single. Bianco capped the four-run frame with a two-run single to center field, pushing the lead to 8-0 and ultimately ending the contest via run rule for the second consecutive day.

St. John's and DePaul will conclude their three-game series on Saturday at 1 p.m. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN+, with live stats available on RedStormSports.com.