QUEENS, N.Y. – After exploding offensively for 20 runs in the first two games of the weekend, the Villanova Wildcats took part in a pitcher's duel on Sunday, overcoming the St. John's Red Storm 2-1 in an eight-inning affair.
The 'Cats trailed 1-0 up until their final out when Dani Dabroski and Brooklyn Ostrowski made themselves heroes for Villanova.
With two outs in the seventh, it was Dabroski working a 3-1 count and finally being hit by a pitch to get the 'Cats a baserunner. Ostrowski delivered in a big moment, lifting a single into right field. With Dabroski's speed, she was waved on to third and slid in as the throw from the outfielder found its way out of play to move both runners up a base for the tying run.
Then in the eighth inning, it was Ryan Henry coming through for the 'Cats with an RBI double, driving in a run to put VU ahead for good.
Tess Cites, Ally Jones and Ostrowski all totaled a pair of hits for Villanova (25-18, 10-5 BIG EAST) on the afternoon while Henry knocked the lone extra-base hit for either squad.
Caroline Pellicano received the win for the Wildcats, striking out two in 2.2 innings of work in relief for the Wildcats. Kat Gallant tossed four frames and surrendered an unearned run as the starter for VU and Kelsey White retired four batters during her time in the circle.
Both sides only mustered one hit in the first two frames with the teams combining for nine batted-ball outs to keep the contest scoreless.
Ostrowski led off the third by beating out a single before Cites grounded one through the right side to make it two baserunners, but a double play ended VU's chances to break the tie in that stanza.
St. John's finally broke through in the fourth, using a leadoff walk and infield single plus an error to put two in scoring position. A sacrifice fly brought the game's first tally across, then a single moved runners to the corners with just one down.The Wildcats got out of it with a groundout to short and a caught stealing, holding the deficit to 1-0.
Villanova received two singles in its half of the sixth, one from Cites and a two-out knock from Ally Jones but the 'Cats remained without a run.
The Johnnies nearly added to their lead in the sixth, with a hit by pitch and stolen base moving a runner into scoring position. A single was scorched up the middle and Sydney Hayes picked the ball up and fired it home, beating the runner for her fifth outfield assist of the year to keep the Red Storm advantage at one. With one out and a runner on second, the Wildcats made a change in the circle to bring on Pellicano.
A strange sequence then occurred on Pellicano's first pitch, as it popped off the glove of Jones and the runner broke for home, and after initially being called safe, she was deemed out of the baseline for the second out of the inning.
Pellicano then rebounded from a 3-0 count by inducing a pop out to second base, keeping the score at 1-0 ahead of the 'Cats final hacks.
In Villanova's last chance at the dish, the first two batters made contact but popped out and grounded out, then it was Dabroski and Ostrowski coming through to extend the matchup.
Pellicano set the Red Storm down in order with a trio of batted-ball outs, sending the game into extras.
The top of the Villanova lineup came to bat in the eighth and Cites became the first baserunner by working a walk. Jones looped a one-out single over the head of the shortstop, getting runners to first and second.
It was Henry delivering for the 'Cats with two outs in that stanza, as the graduate student lined a 3-1 pitch into left field for a double to score Cites and give Villanova its first lead of the game. Pellicano came back out and induced three straight outs, getting Villanova a third win on the weekend.
VU's sweep of the Johnnies marks the second series sweep for the 'Cats this season, having swept Creighton to open BIG EAST play this year.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will spend the week in Pennsylvania, traveling to Lehigh for a Wednesday contest before hosting DePaul for a three-game BIG EAST series at the weekend.
