VILLANOVA, Pa.—Senior second baseman Angela Giampolo (East Windsor, N.J.) hit her first home run of the season leading off the bottom of the first inning and Villanova (12-7) won its ninth straight game with an 8-1 victory over Saint Joseph's (10-7) at the Villanova Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon. Giampolo had three hits and senior pitcher Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) had 12 strikeouts over six innings in the first game of a doubleheader.
 
Rauch (7-2, 2.53 ERA) overcame three walks in the first 2 1/3 innings to retire the last 11 batters she faced. She struck out the side in both the fourth and sixth innings during that streak before ceding the game to freshman Caroline Pellicano (Norristown, Pa.) who worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning. The two pitchers for the Wildcats combined to set down the last 14 batters of the game in order and keep the Hawks off the scoreboard after they pushed home an unearned run against Raich in the top of the first inning.
 
Junior catcher Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) hit her team-high ninth home run and had four runs batted in. Giampolo had a season-high three hits and two runs scored, while Rauch also contributed two hits and two runs scored. The quartet of Giampolo, Rauch, sophomore third baseman Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) and Henry combined to go 8-for-15 with all eight of the team's runs scored and six RBI. Smith had a run-scoring single in the sixth inning and was 1-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored.
 
Saint Joseph's had an early 1-0 lead after Sarah Ostaszewski drew a four-pitch walk to start the game and eventually came around to score on Caela Abadie's one-out RBI single to right. Ostaszewski stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error to get into scoring position.
 
Rauch allowed a hit and issued a walk in each of the first three innings, including in the top of the third when Abadie walked with one out and Peyton Baxter followed with a single to left-center. She was untouchable the rest of the way, as she struck out the next five batters she faced through the end of the fourth inning and wound up tying her season high with 12 strikeouts. It marked her 11^th career game and the third time this season she has fanned 10 or more batters in a game.
 
After the home run by Giampolo tied the game in the bottom of the first inning, Smith drew a one-out walk and senior shortstop Julia DaCosta (North Attleboro, Mass.) singled with two outs. Sophomore catcher Ally Jones (Brielle, N.J.) walked to load the bases and freshman right fielder Brooklyn Ostrowski (Port Chester, N.Y.) fought off an 0-2 count to work a seven-pitch walk which forced Smith home with the go-ahead run.
 
Sophomore left fielder Dani Dabroski (Cedar Grove, N.J.) singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning and Rauch singled with one away. The runners were at second and third with one out when Smith bounced into a fielder's choice and Dabroski was thrown out at the plate. Rauch advanced to third on the fielder's choice, then alertly scored when Smith danced off of first base and got caught in a rundown which ultimately led to her being safe at second on another throw home that Rauch just beat. Henry hit the next pitch over the fence in left-center to extend the margin to 5-1.
 
In the bottom of the sixth inning, four-straight one-out singles led to three more Villanova runs. Giampolo started the rally with her third hit of the game, Rauch singled to center and Smith followed with her RBI single down the right field line. Henry capped the inning with a two-run single through the left side before Saint Joseph's reliever Ashley Stokes worked around a two-out single by Jones to evade further trouble. Stokes relieved starting pitcher Amanda Herr (4-4, 4.13 ERA) before the single by Henry and Herr was charged with 10 hits and eight earned runs over 5 1/3 innings. She walked four and struck out three.