Box Score VILLANOVA, Pa. – A superb effort from Paige Rauch in the pitcher's circle powered Villanova to a 2-0 victory over DePaul in a battle of BIG EAST unbeatens Saturday in Game 1 at the Villanova Softball Complex.
 
Rauch scattered three hits and struck out seven while improving to 11-2 on the season.
 
An RBI single by Chloe Smith in the third inning and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tess Cites produced the Villanova runs.
 
After Rauch held the Blue Demons (15-8 overall, 6-1 BIG EAST) without a hit or run over the first two innings, the Blue Demons produced their first threat in the top of the third inning. A Skylor Hilger single was followed by a walk and a sacrifice bunt that pushed two runners into scoring position with one out. A fly ball to left field by Jessica Cothern appeared to have plated a DePaul run on a sacrifice fly but Hilger was ruled out on appeal for having left third base early.
 
Angela Giampolo struck a leadoff double off the left center field wall to open the home of the third inning. She advanced to third on a wild pitch by the Blue Demons' Krista Dalgarn. Rauch then walked to put runners at the corners. When Rauch broke for second base, however, Giampolo was tagged out trying to return to third base. Chloe Smith then singled home Rauch for the day's first run.
 
DePaul retired the next two Wildcats (18-9 overall, 4-0 BIG EAST) to avoid additional damage. The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead to the top of the fourth inning.
 
The Blue Demons put together a threat in the top of the fifth with one out. A single to center field sent the runner, Pearl Barroso, around third but a terrific throw by Sydney Hayes cut off the run as Barroso was tagged trying to make her way back to third base. A fly ball to center ended the frame with Nova still on top, 1-0.
 
Dani Dabroski led off the bottom of the fifth inning with a sharp single to left and advanced to third after an error. But Dabroski was cut down trying to score on a fly ball to center field off the bat of Giampolo and the Wildcats did not score in the frame.
 
Villanova put together a one out rally in the bottom of the sixth on a double by Julia DaCosta and a single by Ally Jones. Tess Cites followed with a deep fly ball to center field that scored DaCosta to make it 2-0.
 
Rauch then went to work against the bottom of the Blue Demons' order in the top of the frame, striking out the first two hitters and closing out her sixth shutout of the season by getting Hilger on a ground out.