NEWARK, Del. – The Villanova Wildcats captured their ninth-straight victory in an 11-inning affair at Delaware Softball Softball Stadium, taking down the Delaware Blue Hens 5-3 in the second half of Sunday's doubleheader.
Kat Gallant threw seven-plus innings of two-run ball for Villanova (17-13, 5-1 BIG EAST), striking out six in her 36 batters faced. Caroline Pellicano earned her first victory of the year, relieving Gallant and putting out multiple fires in extra innings to pick up a sweep for the Wildcats.
The first few innings were a tale of missed opportunities, as the Wildcats squandered chances to score in the opening six stanzas by leaving 13 runners on base in the game, which was outdone by Delaware's 15.
In the third inning, the Hens got their third straight leadoff runner aboard and advanced her to 60 feet from home with a sacrifice bunt and a groundout, but Gallant forced a flyout to keep the game scoreless.
Lilly St. Jean worked a walk to begin the fourth and Ava Franz lifted a double to the wall that put runners on second and third, though the score still remained at zero after a double play.
Delaware was the first team to get on the board as the Blue Hens used a leadoff single, sacrifice bunt and another single to get two runners on. A fielder's choice resulted in a 1-0 UD edge, but Gallant got out of the jam with a pair of batted-ball outs.
Villanova nearly responded with a bang in the sixth, as St. Jean blasted the first pitch of her at bat off the fence for a double, missing a home run by a few feet. Ryan Henry then lifted the very next pitch a long way, but it was caught at the warning track and VU remained scoreless.
Brooklyn Ostrowski hit a pinch-hit double in the Wildcats' last chances at the plate in regulation, then Victoria Sebastian re-entered to run. With two outs, Villanova's top hitter Tess Cites came to the dish and delivered once again, putting a single back up the middle to score Sebastian and keep the game going.
Gallant struck out the first batter in the home team's response in the seventh, but Delaware knocked back-to-back singles to get two runners aboard. The freshman pitcher was not phased, drawing a lineout to short and a strikeout to send the game into extra innings.
Ally Jones began the extra softball with a bloop single that fell between the shortstop and center fielder and Maddie Burrows came on as the pinch runner. St. Jean walked to make it two runners on, but a double play moved the runner up to third with two outs.
It was Franz who came to the plate and grounded a pitch up the middle, making the second baseman travel a long way to allow Franz to beat out an infield single and score Burrows for a 2-1 VU advantage.
But the Blue Hens would not go away, notching two straight singles and a walk to load the bases with just one out. A single was lifted into left field to tie the score, and VU brought on Pellicano with the bases still juiced.
The junior from Norristown faced the top two hitters in the Delaware order and delivered, getting a lineout and groundout to send the game to another inning.
After both squads were retired in order in the ninth frame, each side got a runner placed on second base to start their hacks. With Cites on second base, Villanova loaded the bases with a reached-on-error and a walk, but a groundout kept the tallies even.
The Hens got a runner to third with just one down, but Pellicano kept Delaware off the board with a strikeout and groundout.
Franz was put on second base in the eleventh, and Sebastian made it second and third after a two-base throwing error. Madison Ostrowski pinch hit and grounded the ball to the shortstop, hitting it softly enough that Franz beat the throw home.
After Cites walked to load the bases, Jones looped a basehit into left field to plate two more runs, giving VU a 5-2 advantage.
The Hens were able to punch another run across with a one-out single, but Pellicano got the two outs she needed to deliver a second win for the Wildcats on the day.
The two victories for Villanova provide the first sweep over Delaware since 2015.
UP NEXT: The 'Cats will face some familiar foes this week, taking part in a midweek contest at Saint Joseph's before hosting BIG EAST rival UConn for a three-game series at the weekend.
