CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Villanova softball team closed its weekend at the Queen Invitational in Charlotte, North Carolina with two losses Saturday.
The 'Cats (0-10) opened the day with an 11-3 loss to No. 14 Virginia Tech in five innings.
Lexi Kobryn (0-4) got the start in the circle for VU, going four innings, walking two and giving up seven runs on seven hits.
Villanova struck first in the contest, scoring two runs in the top of the second on back-to-back singles by
Elizabeth Gray and
Maddie Burrows to score
Ava Mahnken and
Aubrey Police.
After going down 3-2 after the second inning, the 'Cats tied the contest in the top of the third on a Mahnken RBI groundout.
From that point in the contest, the Hokies pulled away, scoring eight unanswered runs and winning in five innings.
A back-and-forth game with Michigan State (6-2) followed for Villanova.
Maggie King got her second start of the weekend, being scored a no-decision after pitching two innings, walking two and giving up two runs on four hits.
Taking a 2-0 deficit into the third inning, VU tied the game on a
Maranda Runco RBI single followed by a
Jaclyn Morra RBI single.
Down 5-2 in the top of the fifth, the 'Cats loaded the bases for
Katie Reed, who hit a go-ahead grand slam.
The home run was Reed's first of her career and gave Villanova its first lead of the contest.
Michigan State took the lead back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring three runs.
Needing to score three runs to keep the game alive, the 'Cats got two back via
Lilly St. Jean's second home run of the season, a two run shot to make it 9-8 before the Spartans closed out the contest.
St. Jean leads the 'Cats in home runs (2), RBIs (6), total bases (11) and slugging percentage (.550) through 10 games.
Kat Gallant (0-4) took the loss against the Spartans, pitching four innings in relief, striking out five, walking two and giving up four runs on four hits.
Up Next
Sunday's scheduled contest against Charlotte was canceled due to inclement weather expected in the area. Villanova heads down to Boca Raton, Fla. Feb. 20-22 to take on UMass, Kansas and FAU at the FAU Paradise Classic.
