VILLANOVA, Pa. – The VU softball team fell in its midweek contest with an area foe, suffering a 5-3 loss to the Delaware Blue Hens on Tuesday afternoon.
Elaina Wagner recorded two hits and an RBI for Villanova (19-17) as Tess Cites added a pair of base knocks and a run scored.
Kat Gallant went four innings in the start, striking out two and surrendering just one run and three hits. Alyssa Seidler faced five batters in her one inning of work while Caroline Pellicano received the loss after two innings of relief.
Delaware started the game with an early tally, stringing together a pair of one-out doubles to strike first in the contest.
Wagner extended her team-high on-base streak to 17 with a single in the first, but the 'Cats couldn't level the ballgame just yet.
With Gallant retiring six Blue Hens in a row after the doubles, Villanova had a chance to tie the game in the third after Victoria Sebastian scorched a double off the wall to open the bottom half of the third and Ally Jones worked a two-out walk.
Wagner put one in play right back at the pitcher, and she beat out the throw after it glanced off the glove to allow Sebastian to cross the plate and even the matchup at one-all.
UD regained the advantage in the fifth, taking advantage of a leadoff walk and moving the runner up with a sacrifice bunt, infield single and RBI base knock for a 2-1 edge.
Kelsey White and Cites stacked singles to open the home half of that fifth frame, then Wagner pulled through with a rope through the left side. The ball hit off the left fielder's glove and went all the way to the wall, scoring both runners and giving the Wildcats their first lead of the contest.
That wouldn't last for very long as Delaware pieced together a two-out rally during the sixth, tying the game with a pair of doubles before a single through the middle gave the Blue Hens a 4-3 advantage.
That lead advanced in the seventh, getting a leadoff baserunner on a single, moving up on a sac bunt and stolen base then scoring on a groundout to go up two.
Cites and Jones each notched base knocks to begin the Wildcats' final hacks, but the ace of the Delaware staff retired the next three VU hitters and delivered a victory for the Blue Hens.
UP NEXT: Villanova prepares for a three-game series at the Villanova Softball Complex this weekend, welcoming the third-place St. John's Red Storm to the Main Line.
