CHICAGO, Ill.—Senior shortstop Megan Kern (Royersford, Pa.) hit her sixth home run of the season but Villanova (14-19, 3-4 BIG EAST) was unable to overcome a four-run third inning by DePaul (13-17, 3-5 BIG EAST) in a 7-1 loss at Cacciatore Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Kern and senior Ryan Henry (Ramsey, N.J.) had the only hits of the game for the Wildcats, who will take on the Blue Demons in the finale of this three-game series on Sunday afternoon.
 
Kern's home run with one out in the top of the sixth inning was the first hit of the game for Villanova, whose only baserunners to that point had come on walks in each of the first three innings. DePaul scored an unearned run in the bottom of the first inning and still led 1-0 going to the bottom of the third inning. After two runs scored on a steal of home and a run-scoring single by Tori Meyer, an RBI fielder's choice and a sacrifice fly plated two more runs as the Blue Demons went in front by a 5-0 margin.
 
Earlier in the game, graduate right fielder Paige Rauch (Windsor, N.Y.) walked on five pitches with one out in the top of the first inning in a plate appearance that had shades of the 2021 season written all over it. In three meetings between the Wildcats and DePaul last year, Rauch had just two official at-bats while being walked nine times. She finished the season with a Villanova single-season record 45 walks.
 
Rauch, graduate second baseman Angela Giampolo (East Windsor, N.J.) and junior third baseman Chloe Smith (Sacramento, Calif.) all drew walks in the first three innings, but the Wildcats were unable to generate longer rallies against Blue Demons pitcher Sarah Lehman (5-5). The score was 6-0 in the top of the sixth inning when Kern got a hold of a 1-1 pitch from Lehman and drove it for a solo home run which tied her with Rauch for this year's team lead.
 
Villanova did not go down quietly despite the final score. In the top of the seventh inning the Wildcats loaded the bases with nobody out when junior catcher Ally Jones (Brielle, N.J.) reached on an error, Henry singled up the middle and Giampolo was hit by a pitch. Lehman struck out the next two batters however, and then got Smith on a hard line drive to center field which was caught for the final out.
 
Senior pitcher Sara Kennedy (Newtown, Conn.) started for Villanova and worked the first three innings. She was charged with five runs, although a pair of fielding errors behind her led to the majority of the DePaul offense while she was in the game. Freshman Kelsey White (Taunton, Mass.) started the game in right field and pitched the final three innings in the circle.
 
Sunday's series finale between the teams gets underway at 1 p.m. Eastern time (12 p.m. Central).