The softball team lost three tough games this past week, ending the week 1-3, with an overall record of 16-15.

Villanova opened the week with a split doubleheader against the St. Joe’s Hawks. In game one, junior Kat Walsh pitched a remarkable two-hitter, leading ‘Nova to a 6-0 win. Walsh pitched all seven innings, striking out six.

Freshman first baseman Eryn Teague sparked the Wildcat offense. Teague went 2-3 with a homerun.

In the sixth inning, Teague’s homerun started the Wildcat offense. The next batter, Carolyn Brown, hit a line drive double down the third baseline. A pinch-hit single up the middle by freshman Katie Verruni scored Brown.

Senior Cassie Koenig added a single of her own to put runners on first and third, and junior Jessica Curtis hit her third triple of the season, scoring both runners. The Wildcats ended their scoring there, and the defense did their job, securing the 6-0 win.

In the second game of the doubleheader versus St. Joe’s, the Hawks came out looking to avenge their earlier loss. St. Joe’s beat Villanova, 5-0. The ‘Cats only had three hits in game two. Curtis had one hit, and freshman Danielle Maricle recorded two hits of her own.

The Villanova pitchers gave up five runs, and the ‘Cats’ bats were silent, which contributed to the loss.

In the second doubleheader of the week, Villanova faced the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers on Saturday. On the second weekend of Big East play, Villanova was finally able to play at home on its new, still under construction softball field. In the christening of its new field, Villanova was unable to overcome a lack of hitting and pitching needed to secure a win. Villanova lost both games to Rutgers, 8-5 and 8-2.

On the two tough losses to the Scarlet Knights, junior Maggie Seidel said, “After we split

with USF, we felt very secure in our team, and we unfortunately didn’t come out with the necessary tools to shut down the Rutgers offense or, for that matter, silence the Rutgers defense.”

In game one, Rutgers came out ready to win. Its hitters hit timely hits, and they scored two runs in the first inning. Villanova responded with only one run, coming off singles from senior Sheri Donley and Curtis and an RBI single by Koenig. The inning ended with runners on base, after Villanova was only able to score one.

Villanova answered back to some of its early runs with its on-base runners in the sixth. Teague and Maricle got on base, and Maricle scored on a wild pitch by Rutgers. After six innings, the score was 5-3.

In the top of the seventh, Rutgers scored three more runs, and only two were answered by ‘Nova. Freshman Jess O’Boyle’s double, a shot to left center field, scored two Villanova runs. But this was not enough, and the ‘Cats fell in their first game on their new field.

In game two, Villanova suffered both defensively and offensively, both of which contributed to the 8-3 loss. Donley did end the day 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Villanova had eight hits on the day.

On Tuesday, the ‘Cats split a two-game series at Penn. Villanova dropped the first game, 6-5, but come back to defeat the Quakers 7-4 in the nightcap.

Seidel commented about how the ‘Cats will prepare for their upcoming Big East schedule.

“It’s still very early, and I feel our team will persevere because we know what it takes to win,” Seidel said. “Our preparation will be mainly mental this week. We lost a tough first game to Rutgers, and the second game was plagued with numerous errors.”

On how Villanova will fare in the Big East, Seidel also said, “The Big East, up and down, is solid this year. From DePaul and Notre Dame, all the way down to Rutgers, there’s no team we can take lightly. Each weekend will be a challenge for us. Our team is solid from seniors down to freshmen, and if we come together as one, there’s no stopping us.”