CHICAGO, Ill. — The Villanova softball team defeated DePaul 8-2 to open BIG EAST play Friday afternoon at Cacciatore Stadium.
The 'Cats (3-18, 1-0 BIG EAST) have now beat the Blue Demons (9-13, 0-1) in 13 consecutive games going back to 2022.
After starting 0-16, Villanova has split its last six games, going 3-3.
Kat Gallant went the distance for the 'Cats, striking out four, walking one and giving up two runs on six hits. Gallant now has 25 complete games in her career, standing alone in 15th place in program history.
VU's nine runs were the second most it has scored this season behind a 17-2 win over Bucknell Feb. 28.
Villanova struck early, taking a 5-0 lead in the first inning via a
Lexi Kobryn two-run double,
Lilly St. Jean RBI single, a wild pitch and
Maddie Burrows RBI single.
The 'Cats continued the offensive onslaught in top of the second, scoring on a
Jacquelyn Cox RBI single through the left side and an
Ava Mahnken RBI walk with the bases loaded.
DePaul got on the board in the bottom of the third, making it 7-2. However, Gallant escaped further damage, stranding two runners on-base.
In a show of hustle and base-running prowess, Mahnken scored in the top of the seventh on a sac-bunt by
Madison Ostrowski. Upon reaching second, Mahnken turned the corner and got to third, sliding in before noticing no Blue Demon was covering home, allowing the sophomore to jog in for the score.
Maddie Burrows went 2-4 at the plate and scored two runs. Kobryn, St. Jean and
Jaclyn Morra each also had two hits on the afternoon.
Up Next
VU continues its series versus DePaul Saturday at 1 p.m. EST. The game will be once again streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available at StatsBroadcast.
