Villanova kicked off its season this past weekend at the Aggie Classic in College Station, Texas, compiling a 2-3 record with wins over Utah State and Abilene Christian, and losses to Purdue, No. 19 Baylor and No. 7 Texas A&M.
The ‘Cats opened the weekend with a 7-4 win as the designated home squad against Utah State.
Villanova trailed after half an inning of play, when the Aggies plated three runs on two run-scoring doubles.
The Wildcats answered quickly, tying the game in the home half of the first. Freshman catcher Ava Mahnken’s RBI single plated the first run, freshman third baseman Jaclyn Morra added the second run with an RBI single of her own and the final run of the inning came when senior shortstop Ava Franz scored on a defensive miscue by Utah State.
The ‘Cats then finally broke through to take a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the fifth when redshirt senior first baseman Brooklyn Ostrowski produced an RBI single, and Franz scored on an error.
Villanova added some insurance the following inning, when senior left fielder Kelsey White launched the team’s first home run of the season, a two-run shot blast.
Wildcat junior pitcher Kat Gallant pitched a complete game to tally the win. She surrendered seven hits and four runs, along with two walks and four strikeouts.
“[Gallant] was getting tired [in the seventh],” head coach Bridget Orchard said. “It was huge for her to be able to handle one last inning and pitch as well as she did.”
In the second game of the tournament, the first of two games of a Friday doubleheader, the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the season, 7-5, to Purdue.
Boilermakers junior first baseman Alivia Meeks started the scoring with a three-run homer in the third inning.
Villanova tallied its first four runs of the game in the sixth inning to take a one-run lead, when sophomore Miranda Runco clobbered a pinch-hit, go-ahead grand slam.
The Wildcat lead was short-lived. Purdue responded in the bottom of the sixth with an offensive onslaught to take a 7-4 lead.
The Wildcats attempted to rally in the top of the seventh when Ostrowski’s RBI single cut the Purdue lead to two with two outs, but the Boilermakers were able to induce a pop-out to end the threat and secure the win.
For the ‘Cats, Runco suffered the loss, surrendering four runs on five hits with one strikeout and no walks in one inning of relief.
In the second game of the Friday doubleheader and the third of the weekend, the Wildcats defeated Abilene Christian, 10-8.
Villanova scored its first four runs in the top of the second inning, with senior right fielder Elaina Wagner and Runco hitting RBI singles. White added a run with a sacrifice fly, and Franz added another with an RBI single.
After allowing Abilene Christian to add a run on a Villanova error, the Wildcats opened up an 8-1 lead on a Wagner sacrifice fly and White’s three-run double.
Abilene Christian responded quickly, making the score 8-5 by adding four runs in the bottom of the third inning, courtesy of three RBI singles and a run-scoring double play.
The Wildcats created their largest cushion of the game when White’s fifth-inning solo home run put them ahead, 10-5.
Abilene Christian narrowed the deficit to two with a three-run sixth inning and brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh before Gallant induced a flyout to end the game.
For Villanova, White was credited with the victory, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing six hits and five runs (two earned) to go along with no walks and two strikeouts.
In the first of a two-game Saturday slate, the Wildcats were defeated by No. 19 Baylor, 8-2.
The ‘Cats took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a leadoff home run from White, followed by a single by Runco that brought home Franz.
“We were really happy about the power numbers [White provided],” Orchard said. “She set the tone for the game. She was able to do that really well all weekend.”
Baylor blew the game open with a six-run third inning.
She tacked on a two-run home run in the sixth to turn the game into a true blowout. The Wildcats managed just three hits all game.
White was saddled with the loss for the ‘Cats, allowing six runs on six hits in 2.2 innings. She did not allow a walk and did not record a strikeout.
In the second game of the Saturday doubleheader and the fifth game on the weekend, No. 7 Texas A&M mercy ruled Villanova, 8-0, in five innings.
Both teams were held scoreless through each of the first two innings before the Aggies came through with a six-run bottom of the third. The scoring began with a solo home run, followed by two RBI singles, and was punctuated by a three-run home run.
Texas A&M added another two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on an RBI groundout and a sacrifice fly. The Aggies ended the game early in the top of the fifth due to the mercy rule.
Gallant was tagged with the loss for the ‘Cats, surrendering six runs on seven hits in three innings of work. She also walked one and did not record any strikeouts.
Villanova returns to action Friday, Feb. 14 in the Joan Joyce Classic in Boca Raton, Florida.
