The Villanova Softball team participated in the 2015 Delaware Spring Invitational in Newark, Del., this past weekend, March 13-15.  

The Wildcats finished 1-2 at the tournament with one game cancellation due to rain and inclement weather conditions. 

The Wildcats lost the first of their three games to Saint Francis (Pa.), 3-1.  Junior Kate Poppe pitched a great game, only allowing three hits and striking out 10 in her six innings on the mound.  

Junior outfielder Shea Palmer showed her talent at the plate, hitting two singles and scoring the only run for the Wildcats of the game. Freshman Brittany Husk also hit well, blasting a double to center field in the sixth inning – her seventh RBI of the season.

 

The Red Flash scored their runs in both the fourth and fifth innings.  It was 2-0 at the end of the fourth inning, but by the fifth the lead was extended to three runs. 

The Wildcats had a short comeback in the sixth inning with Husk’s double and corresponding RBI, but they couldn’t seal the win. 

Unfortunately, the Wildcats’ next game, scheduled for Saturday, March 14, against the Delaware State Hornets, was cancelled due to rain and inclement weather conditions.

Play started up again on Sunday, March 15, with Villanova playing a doubleheader first against Delaware and then subsequently against Delaware State. 

In their first game of the double header, the Wildcats used their offensive power to beat the host of the tournament, the Delaware Blue Hens, 7-2.  

Poppe was again the pitcher for the Wildcats, striking out five batters and only allowing two runs in the bottom of the third inning. The win bumped her pitching record to 4-6.  

The third inning was also a big scoring inning for Villanova. With bases loaded and no outs, Husk delivered a fly ball to left field. After an error by the left fielder, Tianah Hathaway scored the first run for the Wildcats.

Lauren Herschberg then scored the second run of the game on a wild pitch by the Delaware pitcher. Chase Snell followed with an RBI single scoring  Palmer to complete three runs for the Wildcats.  

In the very next inning, Villanova added three more runs to its lead.  One of these runs was made by Lauren Herschberg, who stole home plate, as Shea Palmer did the same at second. 

Also, Tianah Hathaway had a triple and Lauren Herschberg hit a double, both putting RBIs on the board for the Wildcats. 

The last run of the game was scored after of a series of stolen bases when Lauren Herschberg and Hathaway both attempted to steal second and third at the same time.  The Delaware catcher tried to get Hathaway out at third but missed the base, and Hathaway was easily able to score the final run for the Wildcats. 

Delaware needed four different pitchers to battle Villanova’s aggressive offense.  

On the other hand, Poppe was able to handle the entire game for the Wildcats, holding them to two runs. 

However, the second game of the day against Delaware State did not bring home a win for the Wildcats.  Villanova lost 2-0 to the Hornets, in a game that was very centered around pitching. 

Sophomore Brette Lawrence pitched a solid game for the Wildcats. She struck out three batters and only gave up two runs. Poppe came in to the game to relieve Lawrence in the bottom of the sixth inning and finished the game. 

The Hornets began scoring their runs in the bottom of the second inning after a lead off single, a subsequent double, and a ground out RBI to take a 1-0 lead.  

The second run of the game by Delaware State was scored in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single. 

Husk batted well for the Wildcats. She had a single in both the first and third innings. Chase Snell and Lauren Herschberg also had hits for Villanova. 

The Wildcats’ lack of base runners led them to their defeat against the Hornets. 

Villanova’s record now stands at 7-11, while Delaware State improved to 2-13. 

The Wildcats’ next game is against archrival Georgetown with a doubleheader on Saturday and another game on Sunday, M. 

This will be the Wildcats’ first conference action of the season as they hope to improve on last season’s 5-16 record against the Big East .