BOCA RATON, Fla. – Villanova softball finished its weekend with a loss, falling to Boston College 5-1 in the rematch on Sunday afternoon.
Tess Cites provided two hits and an RBI for Villanova (6-9), while Ryan Henry and Chloe Smith delivered the other hits and Smith scored the lone run.
Four different pitchers appeared in the game for the 'Cats, as Kelsey White took the loss in her two-plus innings despite three strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Caroline Pellicano, Peyton Schnackenberg and Alyssa Seidler all appeared in relief.
The Wildcats threatened in the first inning, as Cites led off the ballgame with a single up the middle then two-out walks from Lilly St. Jean and Ava Franz loaded the bases, but a flyout ended VU's chances.
Villanova again got a runner in scoring position in the third inning with Ally Jones getting hit by a pitch and moving up to second on a BC error, but back-to-back batted-ball outs kept the game scoreless.
The Eagles struck first in the third inning, plating four runs on three hits and a slew of 'Cats miscues. VU committed an error, wild pitch and passed ball in the frame, which all allowed BC runners to advance and eventually come around to make the score 4-0.
Boston College nearly added to its lead in the fourth, putting runners on second and third with one out. But a heads-up play by Schnackenberg led to a rundown, catching a BC runner at the plate and proceeding to escape from the inning unscathed.
The 'Cats had their best chance to score in the fifth stanza, as Cites reached on her second single of the afternoon. After moving to second on a wild pitch, Cites rounded third and headed for home on a Henry two-out base knock, but the BC left fielder gunned her down at the plate and kept VU at zero.
The Eagles extended their advantage in the fifth, using two singles and a stolen base to bring another run home.
In the last chance at the plate in the final stanza, Smith led off with a single up the middle and moved up to second on a wild pitch. Madison Ostrowski then walked and both runners moved up a base on another wild pitch. Cites came up and lifted a ball into center field for a sacrifice fly, scoring Smith and giving VU its lone run of the day. But the Wildcats could not keep the inning alive and split the weekend series with Boston College.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats head west once again to take part in the DeMarini Invitational, playing two games at Stanford, one at Cal-Berkeley and a neutral-site contest against Miami (OH).
