HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Villanova Wildcats wrapped up their first day at the Weiler Orthodontics Invitational with a one-run loss, falling to the George Mason Patriots 6-5 on Friday evening.
Brooklyn Ostrowski led the way with a pair of both hits and RBI, while Ava Franz totaled a single and the first triple of the year for Villanova (2-5). Tess Cites reached base four times with three walks and a base hit, coming across the plate twice and Maddie Burrows delivered the second hit and first home run of her collegiate career with a two-run shot in the fifth.
Kelsey White made her way onto the base paths three times with two hits and a base on balls, but also received the loss after tossing just 1.2 innings as the Villanova starter, facing 13 batters and striking out a pair while surrendering only three earned runs. Alyssa Seidler threw 5.1 frames in relief, striking out a career-best eight while retiring 14 in a row.
Mason got the game's scoring started right away with the bout's first three batters reaching base and two of them coming around to score. White was able to settle things down with a pair of strikeouts, holding the Patriot lead to 2-0.
Villanova took half of that back in their opening hacks as a Cites walk proved beneficial when Ostrowski laced a double into left center, scoring Cites and making it a 2-1 ballgame after one.
But George Mason extended its lead in the first at bat in the second frame and the situation worsened from there, with a leadoff homer giving way to two singles, a double, an error and a sacrifice fly for a 6-1 lead following the top of the second.
The 'Cats continued the scoring with a long visiting half of the second, with walks for each of White and Cites plus a single for Franz to load the bags. Ally Jones worked a nine-pitch at bat before putting one in play to drive a run home on a fielder's choice, then Ostrowski lifted a pitch into the outfield for a sacrifice fly and her second RBI of the matchup.
Seidler followed that up with the game's first scoreless half inning and kept it going through the next two stanzas, retiring the first 10 she faced at that point to keep her side down 6-3.
White doubled in the third and Franz tripled the following frame, but the deficit remained at three for the Wildcats through four and a half. That's when Burrows stepped to the plate and pulled the 'Cats back within one, belting her first career home run to score Chloe Smith and bring VU down 6-5.
Nothing changed in the field for Villanova as Seidler kept dealing, allowing just one baserunner who didn't make it past first due to the cannon of Ally Jones' right arm gunning her down on a steal.
At the plate, though, the 'Cats just could not get the timely hit despite two runners on board in the sixth and one in the seventh, ultimately suffering a 6-5 defeat and a winless day one in Virginia.
UP NEXT: Villanova is scheduled to play two games on Saturday against James Madison and Lehigh, scheduled for 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. in Harrisonburg but expected snow and freezing temperatures could subject the games to change. VU is also slated for a Sunday contest at the Weiler Orthodontics Invitational, set to take on George Mason that afternoon.
