Villanova softball hosted its first Big East conference games this past weekend. Coming off a focused week of practice, the ‘Cats were anxious to face Providence and Connecticut. The women got a quick start against the Friars on Saturday, but were unable to hold the lead after a successful third inning for Providence, falling 7-2 in the first game. Villanova faired slightly better in the second game, holding the Friars to four runs, but only scored twice for a 4-2 loss.

Although the ‘Cats had success behind the plate, they still struggled to combine as a unit. Junior co-captain Cassie Koenig was responsible for two of the ‘Cats’ five hits in the first game while freshman Meghan Morese went 3-4 in the second game.

The pitching staff continued to work to get the job done defensively. Sophomore Kat Walsh has pitched consistently well all season and tallied four strikeouts in seven innings on Saturday, while Laura Determan struck out six batters in her outing. Despite their efforts, both Walsh and Determan took the loss on Saturday.

The ‘Cats knew that Sunday would be a hard match-up between the Connecticut Huskies, but were prepared for the challenge. They started off strong in the first game against the Huskies, but could not keep their efforts alive and lost with a score of 8-4. The team came out determined in the second outing. A rally late in the game sent the match-up into eight innings. The ‘Cats were unable to hold on and fell to the Huskies 4-3.

The players are looking to redeem themselves this week with a game against Drexel on Thursday, and this weekend marks another Big East challenge with games versus the Syracuse Orange and Pittsburgh. All games will be played at the Villanova softball field.