SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Villanova softball picked up a victory in its first game of the weekend, taking down the Seton Hall Pirates 6-2 in the opening matchup of the Friday doubleheader.
Ava Franz led the way for Villanova (31-19, 14-5 BIG EAST) with a pair of hits and three RBI, while Chloe Smith, Ally Jones and Victoria Sebastian all contributed multiple base knocks.
Kat Gallant picked up the win for the Wildcats after going five-plus frames in the circle while allowing only five hits and striking out three. Caroline Pellicano went 1.2 innings of one-hit ball, getting five outs to close things out for VU.
Neither team recorded a baserunner in the first inning with Gallant striking out SHU's first two batters, then Sebastian started the second with a single. Franz followed that with a walk to put two aboard, but a strikeout and lineout ended the chance.
Dani Dabroski led off the third with a single, then Cites walked and Smith knocked a base hit into left to load the bases. Jones grounded one back up the middle to give VU the lead, scoring Dabroski while keeping ducks on the pond.
After back-to-back strikeouts to get VU down to its final out of the inning, Ava Franz delivered in a 1-2 count with a bases-clearing double off the top of the fence, picking up a 4-0 advantage for the 'Cats.
Gallant lost her perfect game in the fourth frame, as a one-out single fell into right field for the first SHU baserunner. But the freshman right-hander got a pair of groundouts to follow that and kept her team's edge at four.
Smith and Jones knocked back-to-back base hits to open the fifth stanza, then Sebastian moved them up with a groundout. Ryan Henry grounded a pitch to second base and Smith beat the throw home to allow Villanova a 5-0 lead.
The Pirates answered with a leadoff double in their hacks, then a hit-by-pitch put two on base. But Gallant worked her way out of it with a popout and a flyout, maintaining her squad's five-run advantage.
Sydney Hayes drew a walk to begin the sixth and proceeded to steal second on the next pitch. Cites then roped a pitch into right center that found its way to the fence, easily scoring Hayes with a stand-up double.
Seton Hall got on the board in the bottom of that frame with a two-run shot, knocking one out of the park to make the scoreboard read 6-2.
Pellicano came on in relief for the Wildcats at that point, getting two outs to end the sixth before returning to the circle in the final stanza. The junior hurler worked through a one-out double in SHU's last chances to deliver a game one W for Villanova.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats and Pirates will play a second game on Friday afternoon, scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. in South Orange.
