Softball Wins Fifth Straight Game to Open 2001 Season

Four-run fifth inning pushes Villanova past Sacred Heart, 5-1.

Junior first baseman Heather Garboden singled in Kriste Romano to help Villanova to an early lead in their 5-1 defeat of Sacred Heart. The Wildcats are off to a blazing start in 2001 winning their first five games.

March 9, 2001

Box Score

Orlando, FL - In Villanova softball's opening four games you wouldn't know they graduated 40 percent of their offense and their ace pitcher. Instead, they looked like experienced veterans producing on average 6.25 runs per game and holding their opponents to .75 runs per game. In their fifth game their averages held true to form. The 'Cats used a fifth inning offensive explosion to break out of a 1-1 tie and roll to a 5-1 victory over Sacred Heart. With the victory, Villanova improves to a perfect 5-0 on the season.

The 'Cats, as they have done in every game this year, got things started early. After Kriste Romano (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain) reached base in the third inning, Heather Garboden (Beaverton, OR/Beaverton) stepped to the plate and singled in Romano to give Villanova a 1-0. Sacred Heart responded just an inning later with a double and a single to tie the game at 1-1 in the fourth.

In the fifth, Villanova exploded offensively and broke the game wide open. The inning started innocent enough when Robin Flier (Lafayette, CA/Acalanes) singled. Flier then stole second to set the stage for Jackie Pasquerella (Bayshore, NY/Bayshore). Pasquerella followed with another single to plate Flier. Next, Garboden walked and then was replaced by Lisa Krueger (Mission Viejo, CA/Aliso Niguel) on first. Krueger stole second to place runners on second, Krueger, and third, Pasquerella. Freshman Ricci Lugo (San Clemente, CA/San Clemente) then doubled in both runs to extend Villanova' s lead to 4-1. Gina DeFrancesco (Ardmore, PA/Haverford) followed next with another double to score Lugo and end the scoring on the afternoon.

Villanova's Keri Stoller (West Linn, OR/West Linn) continued her dominance on the mound throwing six and one third innings of one run softball to push her record to 3-0 on the year. Stoller recorded seven strikeouts in the effort. In relief, freshman Kari Singley (Irvine, CA/Irvine) made her collegiate debut in facing five batters and retiring them all. Singley struck out two in one and two-thirds innings of work.

Villanova will be back in action at 7:00 PM when they battle Yale University in Orlando, FL.

Villanova University