VILLANOVA, Pa.—Senior starting pitcher Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) broke the single season school record for shutouts with a two-hit gem and Villanova (30-12, 13-2 BIG EAST) celebrated Senior Day on a high note as it clinched the #2 seed in next week's BIG EAST Championships with a 1-0 shutout of Connecticut (20-16, 12-7 BIG EAST) in the first game of a doubleheader at the Villanova Softball Complex on Saturday afternoon. The final series of the regular season this weekend serves as a preview of the conference tournament, with the Wildcats and the #3 seed Huskies to meet on the first day of tournament action in Storrs, Conn. next week.
 
Rauch (17-3, 1.86 ERA) did not allow a hit until there was one out in the sixth inning in her latest pitching masterpiece. She recorded her ninth shutout of the season to break the previous Villanova record of eight which she had shared since last week with Theresa Hornick and Keri Stoller who each had eight shutouts during the 2001 season. Rauch now stands alone, and she reached the milestone with 11 strikeouts and just one walk in her 16^th complete game of the year. She has had 10+ strikeouts in a game four times this season and 12 times in her collegiate career. Her strikeout of Connecticut first baseman Samantha Barnett for the second out in the sixth inning was the 400^th of her Wildcats career.
 
The game was dominated by pitching and neither team had a hit until sophomore third baseman Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) led off the bottom of the fourth inning with a single to right field. Sophomore catcher Ally Jones (Sacramento, Calif.) followed by drawing one of the five walks issued to Villanova in the game, and with two outs in the inning junior catcher Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) singled down the left field line to drive in pinch runner Erin Gray (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) with the first and only run of the contest. Henry swung at a 2-1 offering from Huskies starting pitcher Meghan O'Neil (10-4, 3.06 ERA) and kept the ball just inside the third base bag to get the Wildcats on the board.
 
Smith was 2-for-3 and senior second baseman Angela Giampolo (East Windsor, N.J.) was on base twice with a single and a base on balls. Each of the top eight hitters in the Villanova batting order reached base safely at least once on either a hit or a walk; the Wildcats were only 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
 
Villanova led 1-0 in the top of the sixth inning when Connecticut center fielder Aziah James bunted for a single on a dribbler between the first base line and the pitchers' circle. Jana Sanden followed with an infield single and the Huskies pulled off a double steal to get the runners to second and third with one away. Briana Marcelino then reached on a fielder's choice and the Wildcats were unable to make a tag play in time for an out at third base, thereby loading the bases with one out. Rauch escaped the jam by striking out Barmett and Devon Casazza in succession to end the scoring threat and get out of the inning unscathed.
 
The buzz in the early innings of the game came from sensational defensive plays made in center field, first by Villanova junior Sydney Hayes (Douglassville, Pa.) in the top of the third and soon after by James when Connecticut took the field in the bottom of the inning. In the top of the inning, Emily Piergustavo led off for the Huskies and hit a sinking liner into shallow center field which Hayes came in on and dove head first to make a shoestring catch to the delight of the Wildcats fans. Giampolo was up with two outs in the bottom of the inning and she lined a 2-1 pitch in the gap in left-center field. James was shaded closer to right-center with Giampolo batting, but she appeared out of nowhere moving to her right and went airborne to fully extend herself and make the catch in midair.
 
Villanova celebrated five senior members of the 2021 squad in a ceremony prior to the start of the game. Recognized during the ceremony were pitcher Anissa Amarillas (Placentia, Calif.); first baseman Julia DaCosta (North Attleboro, Mass.); Giampolo; outfielder Sarah Hangsleben (Edwardsville, Ill.) and Rauch. The win that followed the Senior Day celebration was the 100^th of the seniors' tenure wearing the Wildcats uniform.
 
The win also brought Villanova to the 30-win plateau for the 14^th time in program history and the first time since the 2017 season. This season marks the fifth time that the Wildcats have had a record of 30-12 or better after 42 games.
 
The second game of Saturday's doubleheader got underway just before 2:15 p.m.