GAINESVILLE, Fla.—In her first collegiate start after having made 17 relief appearances over the last two seasons sophomore Caroline Pellicano (Norristown, Pa.) held her own against the fourth-ranked team in the country and gave up just two earned runs over six innings as Villanova (3-6) fell to No. 4 Florida (8-0) by a score of 4-0 at Katie Seasholes Pressly Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was the second game of the day for the Wildcats at the T-Mobile Tournament, as Villanova defeated Florida A&M in a 6-2 win early on Saturday morning.
 
Senior Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.) and junior Victoria Sebastian (Ridgewood, N.J.) each had singles for the Wildcats, who had two runners on base in the top of the first inning but were retired in order in each of the final five frames by Natalie Lugo (2-0, 0.00 ERA) who pitched a two-hitter for the undefeated Gators. The only other base runner for Villanova was graduate Angela Giampolo (East Windsor, N.J.) wo drew a first-inning walk.
 
Florida scored two runs in each of the first two innings, including a pair of unearned runs that scored on a two-out error in the bottom of the second. Pellicano (0-1, 1.14) went the distance in the circle, generated 13 of her 18 outs on the ground and yielded just three hits without a walk or a run scored over her final four innings pitched. Her previous longest career outing was a four-inning relief stint against Connecticut in last year's regular season finale.
 
The best scoring chance for the Wildcats came in the top of the first inning when Giampolo walked on six pitches and Kern hit the next offering for a single to left field. Junior Ally Jones (Brielle, N.J.) was up next and battled Lugo through an eight-pitch at-bat before reaching on a fielder's choice with the lead runner being forced out at third base. Lugo got a strikeout to end the first inning and then – after a one-out single by Sebastian in the second – retired the final 17 batters she faced.
 
In the bottom of the first inning Gators leadoff batter Kendra Falby drew a leadoff walked, stole second and moved to third on Hannah Adams' bunt single. Florida put on a double steal with Skylar Wallace at the plate and Falby scored as Adams was caught stealing as the trail runner going to second. Wallace eventually singled and stole second herself ahead of an RBI single by Charla Echols which forged an early 2-0 lead.
 
Pellicano got a fielder's choice grounder for the second out of the first inning but still had a bigger jam to get out of after Cheyenne Lindsey walked and Sarah Longley reached on an infield hit to load the bases. The eighth batter of the inning was Sam Roe, who bounced out to first for the final out of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the second Avery Goelz was thrown out trying to bunt for a leadoff single and Pellicano struck out Falby on four pitches for the second out of the inning. Adams beat out an infield single though, and Wallace was hit by a pitch to extend the inning for Echols who reached on an error that allowed both base runners to score.
 
Neither team generated much in the way of offense the rest of the way, with the best hit ball by Villanova over the last five innings a well-struck fly by Sebastian to deep right field leading off the fifth inning. In the home half of the third Lindsey bunted for a leadoff single but was erased one batter later when Pellicano got Longley to hit into a 6-6-3 double play which averted a big inning. Roe grounded out to second three pitchers later to end a quick frame. Pellicano retired the side in order on just six pitches in the bottom of the fourth as she settled in.
 
One game remains for the Wildcats at this weekend's T-Mobile Tournament and it should be a good one when Villanova faces Louisville on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The former BIG EAST foes played on Friday morning and the Wildcats overcame deficits of 4-0, 6-2 and 7-6 before eventually falling by a 10-7 final count in a nine-inning affair.