VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova softball clinched the series over DePaul with a 6-1 victory in game two, taking down the Blue Demons on Saturday with 13 hits and an impressive performance in the circle.

Ava Franz led the way for Villanova (28-18, 12-5 BIG EAST) with her first career three-hit game, totaling a trio of singles and two RBI. Kelsey White received the win in the circle after allowing just three hits and one run in five-plus innings of work, while also putting up two base hits with a double and a pair of both runs scored and RBI.

Tess Cites added a pair of doubles, Lilly St. Jean contributed two base hits and a run batted in and Ally Jones moved her on-base streak to 14 games by getting on twice.

The Wildcats threatened in the opening frame, as Cites led off the VU hacks with a double into left center. Jones followed that up with a single into center field, but Cites was thrown out at the plate and an ensuing flyout ended the inning scoreless.

DePaul put back-to-back hitters aboard in the second, earning a leadoff walk and getting a single that bounced over the head of Chloe Smith at third. But a pair of groundouts and a strikeout for White got VU out unscathed.

Villanova struck in the home half of that stanza, with Ryan Henry sending the first pitch into the outfield for a leadoff single. White reached first base on a fielder's choice, then Franz made it two on with a single through the left side.

St. Jean came to the dish and delivered for the 'Cats with a line drive into left field, deep enough that White was able to beat the throw home and pick up the contest's first run. Despite runners on second and third with just one out, a pair of batted-ball outs got DPU out of the inning and kept Villanova's lead to 1-0.

The Blue Demons got their first extra-base hit of the weekend to begin the fourth frame with a first-pitch double out to right center. After a wild pitch advanced the runner to third, a single through the right side got DePaul on the board and a walk followed that to get two aboard. Franz got the Wildcats out of it by picking up a grounder, tagging the runner and throwing on to first for a 4-4-3 double play.

White and Franz knocked back-to-back singles to begin the fourth, then St. Jean nearly hit her fourth home run of the season but only ended up moving both runners up a bag with a flyout to the warning track. DPU was able to escape trouble by getting two more outs to keep the score knotted up at 1-1.

The 'Cats loaded the bases in the fifth, with Jones and Henry each getting walked on four pitches and Victoria Sebastian singling through the right side to extend her hit streak. White then helped herself out, coming up big with a blast down the left field line for a two-RBI double.

After a pitching change for the Blue Demons, Franz also came through for the Wildcats with her third single of the afternoon to score two more and give Villanova a four-spot in the inning and 5-1 advantage.

Cites led off the sixth with a rocket that caught the very top of the wall, bouncing back into the park to keep it to a long, loud double. Smith followed that up with her first base hit of the day, then Sebastian once again did her job by lifting a sac fly into left to score Cites and put VU up 6-1.

Pellicano came back out for the final stanza, giving up two singles but working through a pair of two-runner scenarios to deliver a series-clinching victory for the Wildcats.