This past weekend, Villanova softball (6-25, 2-7 Big East) traveled to Omaha, NE to face Creighton University (13-17, 4-3), where it was swept in the weekend series.
“We’ve had a lot of bad breaks in the beginning of the year,” head coach Bridget Orchard said. “So we’re kind of just trying to keep the confidence up and keep the energy.”
In the opening game, the ‘Cats took a 10-8 lead at the bottom of the seventh, but lost on a three-run walkoff home run.
The Wildcats took an early lead in the top of the first inning. Senior Lily St. Jean grounded out to score in senior Maddie Burrows. Creighton added two runs in the bottom of the first to go up 2-1.
The Bluejays then scored four runs in a row through the next two innings to go up 6-1 heading into the top of the fourth.
Villanova responded with six runs at the top of the fourth. Burrows hit an RBI single to load the bases, then junior Maranda Runco cleared them to send three runners to the plate.
Runco then scored off an error, and St. Jean added a sacrifice fly to give the Wildcats a 7-6 lead.
Creighton then scored twice to go up 8-7.
In the top of the fifth, Runco hit a three-run double to make the score 10-8.
Neither team scored again until the bottom of the seventh, two batters got on base for Creighton and the BlueJays were able to walk off the game with a three-run home run off Maggie King.
Villanova scored the most runs yet in 2026 with 10.
“It was a positive on the offensive side,” Orchard said. “They were putting up more runs. We’re just giving up too many runs.”
The next day, the Wildcats dropped their second game to the Blue Jays, 11-3.
In her sixth start of the season, freshman Carly Zych pitched an inning and a third, where she walked three and gave up five runs on two hits.
She also opened up scoring for Villanova in the top of the second, hitting her first career home run.
Creighton quickly responded with seven unanswered runs in the bottom of the second. Most of those runs came from a grand slam.
Villanova managed to load the bases, and a St. Jean walk made the score 7-3.
Creighton added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning and then two more in the bottom of the fifth to win the game and clinch the series.
This was the second consecutive Big East series that Villanova has been swept in.
“Mentally, we just need to lock in a little bit better and kind of make sure that we’re playing as hard as we can day in and day out,” Orchard said.
The following day was no better, as the ‘Cats only managed one run to Creighton’s 10 through five innings of play.
Senior Kat Gallant started as pitcher for Villanova. She pitched for one inning, walking two and giving up four runs on four hits.
Creighton scored four in the bottom of the first inning.
In the top of the third, Runco hit a single to score Zych from third to put Villanova on the board.
After that, the BlueJays scored 9 unanswered runs to end the game at the bottom of the fifth.
“[The team] is all sticking together and they’re kind of grinding through this,” Orchard said. “As a team and as a unit.”
King struck out one, walked four and gave up six runs on eight hits.
“Defensively, we need to make some big plays behind our pitchers,” Orchard said. “So when they are throwing strikes, they put it in play. We need to kind of back it up and make some bigger plays”
Villanova will take on Delaware this Wednesday, and then host Georgetown for a weekend series,
