GAINESVILLE, Fla.—Senior Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.) hit a go-ahead three-run home run with one out in the bottom of the third inning and Villanova (3-5) went on to a 6-2 win over Florida A&M (1-5) at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on Saturday morning. Kern hit her second home run of the year and junior Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) drove in two runs as the Wildcats overcame an early two-run deficit with six unanswered runs.
 
Villanova trailed 2-1 when it came to bat in the bottom of the third inning of its third game of the T-Mobile Tournament at Florida this weekend. Junior Dani Dabroski (Cedar Grove, N.J.) drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning and graduate Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) singled to set the table for a big inning. The runners were at second and third with one out when Kern batted and hit a 1-1 pitch over the fence in right-center field to give the Wildcats the only lead they would need in the contest.
 
That wasn't all for Villanova in the third inning, however. Sophomore Tess Cites (Horseheads, N.Y.) singled through the right side with two outs and stole second to get into scoring position. An error committed on a fly to right field by senior Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) extended the inning and Cites scored an unearned run to extend the margin to 5-2.
 
After the big inning by the Wildcats offense Rauch (2-1, 5.69 ERA) stranded two runners to hold the lead in the top of the fourth inning. She allowed two singles in the frame but kept the Rattlers off the board after there were runners at the corners with one out. She struck out Mia Blasingame for the second out and then got leadoff hitter Jania Davis to line out to short to end the Florida A&M scoring threat.
 
Rauch scattered two earned runs on seven hits over five innings of work. She walked one and struck out five to earn her second win of the year in five starts. Senior Sara Kennedy (Newtown, Conn.) worked two scoreless innings of relief with just one hit allowed and three strikeouts to close out the game.
 
Florida A&M struck first with two runs off Rauch in the top of the first inning. With a runner at first and two outs in that inning cleanup hitter Destiny Cuevas doubled to center to drive in the game's first run and Brandice Boatwright followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead. Rauch fanned Desirae Beacham to end the inning.
 
Junior Ally Jones (Brielle, N.J.) doubled down the left field line to open the bottom of the second inning and Henry singled with one out to put runners at the corners. Villanova pinch ran with senior Erin Gray (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) entering at third and senior Sydney Hayes (Douglassville, Pa.) coming out of the flex position to run for Henry at first. Smith hit a sacrifice fly to center to drive in Gray with the first Wildcats run of the day.
 
Later in the game Smith drove in her second run of the game with an RBI single in the home half of the fifth. Cites walked on four pitches with one out and Henry singled to move her to second. Smith worked the count full and then singled up the middle to drive in Cites and close the scoring with a 6-2 lead.
 
Cites finished the day 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and her first stolen base of the year. Henry went 2-for-3 to raise her season batting average to .409. She is the lone Villanova batter to reach base safely in all eight games this season, with that streak of eight consecutive games reaching base a new career high.
 
Later on Saturday the Wildcats take on tournament host and fourth-ranked Florida. That game was due to start at 11:30 a.m.