DURHAM, N.C. – Despite a Saturday filled with rain and dark clouds, the Villanova Wildcats escaped the afternoon with some joy as they took down Michigan State 2-1 in game four at the Duke Invitational.
Senior pitcher Alyssa Seidler was the story of the matchup for Villanova (4-8), allowing just one run, five hits and two walks in the first complete game effort and win of her career. The New York native struck out seven in the ballgame while producing one-two-three innings in each of the second, third and fourth stanzas.
Five players recorded hits for the 'Cats, with Grace Reed providing the thump on a solo shot in the fourth inning to follow up a Brooklyn Ostrowski triple and run scored on a wild pitch. Tess Cites, Elaina Wagner and Maddie Burrows all recorded singles in the game, while Emily Orr reached base twice on a walk and hit by pitch.
Cites singled up the middle for the lone Wildcat hit of the opening period, then Seidler stranded a two-out double on second for a 0-0 reading after the frame.
Wagner notched a single to lead off the second inning then Orr got hit by a pitch to earn a pair of base runners. But the score remained the same after a would-be RBI knock from Burrows clipped a runner to end the stanza at a scoreless tie.
With Seidler dealing on the rubber, the Wildcat offense really got going in the fourth as Ostrowski showed off the wheels by drilling one to the fence, legging out a triple and sliding into home on a wild pitch to break the deadlock. Reed added to that advantage with a moonshot, blasting one off the scoreboard for her second collegiate dinger to get the 'Cats ahead 2-0.
The Spartans tried to answer in the fifth, stringing together a single and a walk with one out before a sacrifice fly moved runners to the corners. Seidler pushed right back, though, inducing a foul popout to third and ending the chance.
Michigan State got the bat on the ball in their sixth inning hacks, notching a one-out single but getting tracked down up the middle by Burrows and twice at the wall by Wagner and Cites to keep a zero in the home team's run column.
Orr worked a walk to open the visiting half of the seventh, then Burrows singled into left to put two on with one down. Cites and Ava Franz each roped a pitch in their at bats, but they both turned into outs and VU stayed up 2-0 heading into the final frame.
MSU used a leadoff double, wild pitch and sacrifice fly to pull the game back within one. Seidler induced another flyout into center, then after a walk put a runner on with two down, the senior hurler got her seventh strikeout of the day to deliver VU's first win of the weekend.
With the victory, the Wildcats move above .500 all-time against the Spartans, now owning a 3-2 record and continuing the win-loss pattern in the series.
UP NEXT: Villanova finishes out its stay in North Carolina with a rematch against the host No. 6 Blue Devils at 1 p.m. on Sunday, looking to avenge an 8-0 loss from Friday evening.
