INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Villanova softball picked up the victory in Saturday's grudge match, taking down the Butler Bulldogs 7-2 to win the season series.
Tess Cites led the way for Villanova (21-17, 7-5 BIG EAST) with three hits, two runs and two RBI, while Ally Jones recorded two base knocks, a walk and an RBI.
Kat Gallant earned the victory for the Wildcats, allowing three hits and no runs in her two innings of work. Caroline Pellicano picked up the save after tossing three frames in the circle, and the starter Peyton Schnackenberg struck out two and surrendered a pair of runs in her two innings.
The 'Cats got a runner to third in the opening stanza, as Kelsey White was hit by a pitch, stole second and moved up on a passed ball but could not score.
Butler loaded the bases in the home half of that frame and brought one run home on a sacrifice fly to get the game's first lead, but Schnackenberg stranded runners on second and third to keep the damage to 1-0.
The Bulldogs added another tally in the second inning with a safety squeeze following up a two-out triple to give BU a 2-0 advantage.
Lilly St. Jean and Cites both singled then Jones walked to get the bases juiced in the third inning, but a lineout to the track in center field ended the chances.
Gallant came to the circle in the third and got three outs despite a two-out single. Butler began the fourth with a single off the pitcher's glove and then a bunt single. An error would have loaded the bases with nobody out, but Chloe Smith rifled the ball to third base and picked off the runner before Gallant got two flyouts to keep the VU deficit to two.
The Wildcats got on the board in the fifth stanza, putting up a five-spot in the frame. Cites got the 'Cats started by beating out a single to the shortstop, then Sydney Hayes roped a line drive into right that was dropped to bring two runners aboard.
Jones proceeded to rocket a pitch that glanced off the glove of the second baseman into the outfield, allowing Cites to score and the others to get into scoring position. Ryan Henry blooped a ball into right field to tie the game, then Smith hit a grounder to second base that resulted in an error to give VU the lead.
After the runners both moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, Franz blasted a 3-2 pitch to the fence for a two-RBI double, putting the Wildcats up 5-2.
Victoria Sebastian reached base to lead off the sixth on a hit-by-pitch, then Cites made it a five-run ballgame with a bomb to right center for her second home run of the season.
Butler put two aboard in the home half of that inning, but an impressive grab in foul territory by Dani Dabroski and a groundout ended the frame scoreless. After the Wildcats were retired in order in the visiting half of the seventh, Pellicano came back out and put the Bulldogs down 1-2-3 to deliver a series win for Villanova.
With the victory, VU advances to 12-10 all-time against Butler.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats have a busy week ahead, as they'll host Drexel on Wednesday before traveling to New York on Thursday for a single game against Hofstra followed by a three-game weekend series at St. John's.
