PHILADELPHIA, Pa.—Sophomore relief pitcher Caroline Pellicano (Norristown, Pa.) pitched five strong innings and stranded the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh as Villanova (23-19) won its ninth straight game, 6-4, over Drexel (20-16) on a windy and cold day at the Drexel Softball Field on Tuesday afternoon. Freshman starting pitcher Kelsey White (Taunton, Mass.) and sophomore right fielder Tess Cites (Horseheads, N.Y.) drove in the go-ahead runs in the top of the third inning of a game where nearly all of the scoring came early on.
 
Pellicano (2-2, 1.33 ERA) entered in the bottom of the third with the Wildcats having just taken a 5-3 lead in the top of the inning. She retired the first eight batters she faced and eventually went the rest of the way while allowing just a two-out run in the bottom of the seventh inning. Two straight hits with the Dragons down to their final out put the potential tying runs at first and second base before Pellicano got Kristi DiMeo on a groundout to short to end the game.
 
Four different players had two hits apiece for Villanova, which has had 10+ hits seven times during its winning streak and is averaging 8.2 runs per game in the nine-game spurt. White pitched the first two innings in the circle and reached base in all three of her plate appearances, going 2-for-2 with the go-ahead RBI and a walk. Graduate second baseman Angela Giampolo (East Windsor, N.J.) and senior catcher Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) each had two hits and an RBI, while graduate first baseman Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
 
The first inning was an eventful one for both sides and Drexel led 3-2 after one inning of play. Junior third  baseman Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) singled to lead off the game and scored later in the top of the first on a successful double steal with senior shortstop Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.); Smith stole third as the lead runner and came in to score when a throwing error was committed on the play. Henry followed with an RBI double that one-hopped the fence in right-center field to extend the margin to 2-0.
 
In the bottom of the inning the Dragons scored three runs before they made their first out of the game, but from that point on Drexel did not score again until there were two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Leadoff hitter Jackie Masone singled to lead off the bottom of the first inning, Sarah Clinton hit an RBI double and DiMeo hit a two-run home run to forge a 3-2 lead. The quick start was no trouble for White to work around, as she retired the next three batters on just nine pitches without the ball leaving the infield. A one-out single by Megan Trivelpiece in the second inning was the only other baserunner against White in her 22^nd pitching appearance and 10^th start of the season.
 
There were two outs and nobody on in the top of the second inning after the Dragons turned a 5-4-3 double play, but a pair of two-out hits from senior center fielder Sydney Hayes (Douglassville, Pa.) and junior left fielder Dani Dabroski (Cedar Grove, N.J.) tied the game at 3-all. Hayes doubled off the top of the fence in right-center field and Dabroski followed with an RBI single through the left side two pitches later.
 
Rauch singled to lead off the third inning in a tie game and the Wildcats loaded the bases with one out after Kern walked and Giampolo was hit by a pitch. Villanova held the lead for good after White's run-scoring single through the left side, while a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Cites stretched the lead to 5-3. That stayed the score through six innings of play before the Wildcats got a well-timed insurance run in the top of the seventh inning on a single by Henry and an RBI double by Giampolo which plated freshman pinch runner Alexa Raphael (West Caldwell, N.J.).
 
The final line on Pellicano was one run on three hits over five innings of work. She walked two and struck out two while earning her second weekday win of the season. Pellicano started and pitched five scoreless innings against Saint Joseph's in a midweek win on March 30.
 
Villanova returns to action for its second straight road BIG EAST series this weekend when it travels to Providence for three games. The series opener is set for Friday afternoon at 3 p.m., followed by single games on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 12 p.m.