The softball team stepped out of the conference to play a doubleheader on the road against Towson. The Wildcats split the two games on Monday, losing game one, 8-2, but rebounding for a 4-1 victory.

In the opener, Villanova jumped out to an early lead on Valerie Ortega’s two-run home run to right. Sophomore Kristi Burlin also had a quality game at the plate, going 2-3. 

Unfortunately, those would be Villanova’s only two runs in the contest. 

Sophomore Caitlyn Delahaba had a decent day on the mound, going six innings and striking out five batters, but it proved futile. 

In the nightcap, the Wildcats out-hit Towson by three. Senior Danielle Maricle was Villanova’s lone hitter to notch multiple hits. However, it was senior Jess O’Boyle who sparked the run production. She drove in three for the road team, including a two-run home run. 

Sophomore Molly Manning, who had one hit in the game, only allowed four hits to the opposition and struck out six in seven innings of work. 

Unlike the opener, Towson got on the board first, scoring in the bottom of the second inning, but Villanova immediately responded in the following frame on an O’Boyle sacrifice fly, plating sophomore Jamie O’Hara. 

After tying the game, the Wildcats never looked back. They eventually broke the stalemate in the top of the fifth inning. Freshman Julie Smith led off the inning with a single before senior Eryn Teague moved her to second on a sacrifice bunt. 

Head Coach Maria DiBernardi called for a pinch hitter, and junior Christina Botkins answered the call with another single that moved Smith to third. 

Maricle stepped up to the plate once again, grabbing another RBI by scoring Smith on a sacrifice fly. 

Looking to pad the newfound lead, O’Boyle crushed a deep home run to straightaway center, scoring O’Hara. 

Villanova took on Rider in another doubleheader on the road yesterday. 

The Wildcats take the field again, this time returning to conference play, to begin a series with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. They open with a doubleheader on Saturday.