Bender’s bat powered Sacred Heart to a 3-1 record that included a pair of mid-week non-conference victories over Fairfield and Siena as well as an NEC split with FDU. The first-year infielder continued her star-studded rookie campaign by going 8-for-13 (.615) at the plate with a .667 on-base percentage. During the Pioneers’ four-game stretch, Bender recorded three doubles, two runs and five RBI. The Shippensburg, PA native was stellar against non-conference foes, combining for a perfect 6-for-6 performance. She drove in four runs in Sacred Heart’s 6-5 win against the Stags on Wednesday before she propelled the Pioneers to a 3-2 walk-off win over the Saints the following day with an RBI double. Bender leads the Pioneers in several offensive categories, including batting average (.318), OPS (.907), slugging percentage (.515), RBI (13), total bases (34), doubles (5) and triples (1). In addition, her .392 on-base percentage and 10 runs scored are good for second on the team. This is Bender’s third weekly award from the NEC, as she was previously tabbed the NEC Player of the Week and the NEC Rookie of the Week on March 5.