The Villanova Wildcats completed a series sweep of the St. John's Red Storm with a 3-1 victory Sunday afternoon in Jamaica, N.Y.
 
The win – Nova's eighth in a row – upped the Wildcats' record to 26-10 overall, 10-1 BIG EAST.
 
Paige Rauch hurled a complete game, allowing just four hits on the day. The Windsor, N.Y. native is now 15-2 with a 2.15 earned run average as a pitcher in 2021. For good measure, Raugh also connected for a pair of hits in the leadoff spot, driving in one of the 'Cats three runs on the day.
 
Ryan Henry also had two hits for the Wildcats while Dani Dabroski scored twice for Villanova.
 
St. John's went on top in the bottom of the first when leadoff hitter Gretchen Bowie came around to score after opening the game with a single to center field.
 
The Wildcats tied the game up in their half of the third inning. Dabroski reached on a Red Storm error and then advanced to second base. A Rauch single to right field brought Dabroski around to score.
 
Villanova went ahead in the fifth inning. Dabroski drew a walk and Rauch followed with a single. Angela Giampolo was hit by a pitch to fill the bases. Chloe Smith picked up an RBI on a fielder's choice to make it 2-1 in favor of the 'Cats and Julia DaCosta connected on a single to left center field to score Giampolo and push the lead to 3-1.
 
Rauch then set the Red Storm (9-17 overall, 6-12 BIG EAST) down in order in the bottom of the fifth inning and kept St. John's off the scoreboard in the sixth inning after surrendering a leadoff double to Marissa Rizzi.
 
In the bottom of the seventh St. John's again got the leadoff hitter on base, this time via a bit by pitch. But Rauch retired the next three batters, wrapping it up by getting Bowie on fly ball to right fielder Tess Cites.
 
Villanova is off until Wednesday when it visits Delaware for a single game at 3 p.m. It will be back at the Villanova Softball Complex Thursday to host Princeton at 2:30 p.m.