TOWSON, Md. – The Villanova softball team picked up a victory in the opening game of Tuesday's doubleheader, defeating the Towson Tigers 7-5 in eight innings.
Ally Jones registered three hits for Villanova (14-13, 5-1 BIG EAST), while Tess Cites recorded two base hits including the game-winning RBI double.
19 players appeared in the game for Villanova, as Kendall Spivey earned her first start and notched a single, while Elaina Wagner and Brooklyn Ostrowski each totaled a base knock as well.
White tossed four frames as the starting pitcher and victor for the Wildcats, striking out three and surrendering just four hits, then came on again to get five outs in the seventh and eighth. Peyton Schnackenberg hurled two innings in relief for VU, and Kat Gallant delivered the final out in the circle to pick up a save.
The Wildcats began the scoring in the second stanza, as White and Ava Franz hit back-to-back singles to lead off the frame. With two outs, Cites came to the dish and sent a pitch back up the middle to score White and put VU up 1-0.
Villanova kept up the pressure in the third with Jones rocketing a pitch past the second baseman for a leadoff single. After getting to second on a groundout and moving to third on a wild pitch, Jones scored after White lifted a pitch into right field that was misplayed by the outfielder to bring White to third. With White standing just 60 feet away, Franz delivered again with a double into deep right that put the 'Cats ahead 3-0.
VU extended its lead in frame four with four straight two-out singles as White and Lilly St. Jean earned RBIs to get Villanova a 5-0 advantage.
Towson threatened for the first time in the home half of that frame, as back-to-back singles came to start the inning. But outstanding outfield play from Sydney Hayes helped out the 'Cats, with the graduate student gunning down a runner at third base to record the first out and allow VU to keep the Tigers scoreless.
More danger came in the fifth for the home team, with two more base hits being added and runners getting to second and third. But Schnackenberg, who had entered the circle to start the inning, got a groundout to bring the inning to an end.
The Tigers finally broke through in the bottom half of the sixth, with a leadoff walk spelling trouble for Schnackenberg as a two-out triple brought the run around to make the score 5-1.
Towson then forced extra innings with a four spot in the seventh, totaling four hits in the frame with a two-out double leveling the contest.
Cites led off the extra softball with a runner placed on second base, and the Wildcats' top hitter did not disappoint, blasting a ground-rule double into left field to give her squad the lead. Cites moved up to third on a Chloe Smith single, then came home on a wild pitch to put VU up 7-5.
The Tigers started their extra-inning hacks with a flyout to right field, and Hayes made it into a double play by gunning down another runner at third base. Towson made things interesting, getting two runners into scoring position, but the 'Cats brought Gallant on to get the final out with a groundout to Wagner.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats and Tigers will square off again on Tuesday, with game two destined for 5:00 PM in Maryland.
