STANFORD, Calif. – Villanova softball fell in its second contest of the day on Saturday, suffering a 3-0 defeat to the host Stanford Cardinal.
Dani Dabroski and Ally Jones notched the lone hits for Villanova (8-11) with three other batters reaching base in the matchup. Peyton Schnackenberg received the loss for the Wildcats after hurling five innings with two strikeouts and two earned runs, while Caroline Pellicano provided a scoreless frame of relief.
Stanford threatened in the opening stanza, putting the first two runners on second and third with nobody out. But Schnackenberg set down three in a row on a foul popout, strikeout and groundout to keep the inning scoreless.
Chloe Smith became the first Villanova hitter to reach base, being hit by a pitch in the second frame, and Ava Franz drew a walk after a long at-bat but neither could advance beyond second base.
The Cardinal struck in the second inning, with two Wildcat errors allowing an unearned Stanford run to come across and bring the score to 1-0.
Dabroski got VU's first hit against Stanford this weekend, showcasing her speed to beat out an infield single, but the 'Cats could not move her beyond first.
Lilly St. Jean reached base via a hit by pitch to start the fourth frame, becoming Villanova's fourth base runner in the game, but she was stranded on second.
Stanford loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth stanza, but Schnackenberg held them to just one tally after a force out at home, a fielder's choice that scored the run and a groundout to first.
Jones came up with one out in the sixth frame and roped a pitch to the left center fence for a double. The 'Cats moved the runner up to third, but could not bring her around.
Villanova sent three pinch hitters to the plate in the final inning, putting Elaina Wagner, Kendall Spivey and Brooklyn Ostrowski into action. But Stanford's right-hander Regan Krause set all three down, delivering a W for the Cardinal.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will now head north for their Sunday tilt, traveling to Berkeley to take on California in a rematch of Saturday morning's matchup.
