GREENVILLE, N.C.—Graduate Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning and pitched a two-hit shutout as Villanova (4-7) opened play in the Pirate Invitational with a 1-0 victory over Gardner-Webb (5-6) at MRJ Family Stadium on Friday morning. The only run of the game scored in walk-off fashion as freshman Alexa Raphael (West Caldwell, N.J.) forced the action in the bottom of the seventh inning by stealing third base and scoring on a throwing error to win the game.
 
Raphael has quickly carved out a role for herself and made an impact for the Wildcats in the opening weeks of her collegiate career. She has appeared as a pinch runner in 10 of the first 11 games of the season and has four stolen bases to go along with three runs scored. In the bottom of the seventh she entered for senior Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.) who doubled to the gap in left-center field leading off the inning to give Villanova a chance to walk off with a win.
 
There were runners at first and second with one out in the seventh inning for junior Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.), the Wildcats early-season RBI leader with eight runs driven in. This time however, it was Raphael's speed which made the difference in the game. She broke for third with Smith batting and came all the way around to score on a throwing error after being credited with a successful steal of third. Raphael's run ended what had been a tense affair in which the two teams combined to strand 18 runners on base.
 
Rauch (3-1, 4.20 ERA) was dominant from start to finish in pitching her 14^th shutout for Villanova and the 16^th of her career. She struck out the side in the first inning and retired the side in order in the top of the seventh in her strongest start of the season to date. The only hits against Rauch were a one-out double by Araceli Pesqueira in the sixth and a two-out infield single by Bridgette Strobl later in the inning. The bases were loaded with two out for the Bulldogs after Strobl's single to third base, but Rauch got Riley McCurry to pop up to first to end the threat.
 
It took until the seventh batter of the game for Gardner-Webb to put a ball in play against Rauch, who struck out the first four batters of the game before Strobl battled her for a 13-pitch walk with one out in the top of the second. Strobl fouled off nine pitches in the plate appearance before taking the free pass, but McCurry struck out on three pitches and Kayleigh Nicholson popped up to short to finally put a ball into fair play against the reigning BIG EAST Pitcher of the Year.
 
Rauch set the Wildcats single-season record with nine shutouts last season and she now has 14 in her Villanova career. That ties her for fourth in school history with Tina Sabunas (1993-96) and is six away from matching the school record of 20 shutouts thrown by Theresa Hornick (2000-03). Rauch also moved into 10^th place in school history in career innings pitched with 436.0 with her appearance in Friday's game.
 
The final score would not show that the Wildcats had runners in scoring position in every inning of the game. Kern was on base in all four of her plate appearances and walked a career-high three times before doubling to start the seventh inning. Smith went 2-for-3 to raise her season batting average above .300 and sophomore Tess Cites (Horseheads, N.Y.) was on base twice with a single and a walk.
 
In the bottom of the first inning Rauch and Kern each walked before a double play ended the inning and the early chance for Villanova to grab the lead. Smith singled, senior Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) was hit by a pitch and junior Victoria Sebastian (Ridgewood, N.J.) reached on an error in the home half of the second inning before Sydney Gilbert (0-1, 1.98 ERA) induced two straight ground balls to escape another jam. Gilbert also stranded the bases full in the fifth inning. She wound up allowing seven hits and walking five while striking out four and giving up just an unearned run in 6 1/3 innings.
 
Later on Friday the Wildcats are scheduled to take on tournament host East Carolina (4-6) in a 3 p.m. contest.