GREENVILLE, N.C.—Senior shortstop Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.) continued her power binge with a game-winning home run in the top of the seventh inning and Villanova (7-7) evened its record at .500 by defeating Fairleigh Dickinson (1-7), 3-1, for its fourth straight victory at the Pirate Invitational on Saturday afternoon. It was the second game of the day for the Wildcats, who held off Gardner-Webb for an 8-6 win at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium on Saturday morning. Kern hit two home runs and drove in three in that game.
 
It has been nearly impossible to get Kern out, or to keep her in the park, during the weekend. Over her last three games the Villanova slugger is 7-for-11 at the plate with three home runs, a double and seven runs batted in. She was 3-for-4 against the Knights and raised her batting average to .465 through the season's first 14 games. Kern has hit in all but one game this season and is riding a career-long 12-game hitting streak after her bat continued to lift the Wildcats in Saturday's pair of games.
 
Graduate pitcher Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning to get Villanova started, scored ahead of Kern on the game-winning homer in the seventh and pitched a four-hitter while tying a career-high with 13 strikeouts in her fourth win of the season. Junior first baseman Victoria Sebastian (Ridgewood, N.J.) and junior left fielder Dani Dabroski (Cedar Grove, N.J.) each had two hits in the win and the Wildcats outhit Fairleigh Dickinson by a 13-4 margin despite the low-scoring affair.
 
It took all of six pitches at the start of the game for the Wildcats to take the lead, as Rauch batted with one away in the top of the first and hit a 1-0 pitch from Payton Wagner (1-2, 5.98 ERA) to straightaway center field for her third home run of the season. It was her 42^nd home run in a Villanova uniform and the 58^th home of her collegiate career. Rauch set the Wildcats career home run record as a senior last season and continues to extend her own mark with each long ball this season.
 
Villanova had traffic on the bases in every inning but the fifth. Despite the steady offense, it was the 1-0 lead from the second batter of the game which held up for the Wildcats until the Knights finally manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Cassidy Triska reached on an infield single to start the inning, Andreya Flores sacrificed her to second and Jess DeWitt was intentionally walked with first base open. The runners stole second and third, respectively, on a double steal attempt and cleanup hitter Hayden Salter singled with still just one out to tie the game.
 
There was no further damage done against Rauch (4-1, 3.53 ERA), who struck out Courtney Mahoney and Riley Phillips to end the sixth inning and retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh. She recorded her 13^th career game with double digits in strikeouts, including striking out the side in the fifth inning and having two or more K's in five straight frames from the second through the sixth.
 
Villanova nearly added to its lead in the first inning when Kern followed Rauch's home run with a single to left-center and junior third baseman Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) was hit by a pitch. In the second inning Sebastian and senior center fielder Sydney Hayes (Douglassville, Pa.) opened the inning with consecutive singles, but both runners were caught stealing when the Wildcats attempted a double steal with the pair at first and third and nobody out.
 
Kern had another base hit in the third inning, a one-out single through the right side, and Smith walked one batter later. Sophomore designated player Tess Cites (Horseheads, N.Y.) singled down the left field line to advance the runners, but senior pinch runner Erin Gray (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) was thrown out at the plate trying to score on the base hit.
 
The best scoring chance for Villanova aside from its two home runs may have been in the sixth inning when freshman pinch hitter Ava Franz (Aston, Pa.) singled with one out for her first collegiate hit and Sebastian doubled to left. Wagner made big pitches to strand the runners at second and third however, with the score staying 1-0 going to the bottom of the sixth.
 
Fairleigh Dickinson tied the game against Rauch in the home half of the sixth, but the top of the Wildcats order was due up in the seventh. Rauch hit the first pitch she saw in the inning for a one-out single and Kern followed by blasting a 3-1 offering over the fence in right for the go-ahead runs.
 
Villanova will take on the Knights for a second time at 10 a.m. on Sunday in the final game for both teams at the Pirate Invitational. The contest will be the Wildcats ninth out of 15 games this season to have a morning first pitch.