Oct. 8, 2002

State College, Pa.- This past weekend, the Villanova University softball team traveled to Penn State, where they emerged with four wins and one loss. The weekend featured two victories over St. Francis and one over Penn State and Big East foe Rutgers. The lone loss came in the championship game to Rutgers. For the weekend, the Wildcats allowed a stingy six runs in five games.

In their first game, Villanova faced off against Rutgers and held off a seventh-inning rally to preserve the 2-1 victory. The Wildcats got on the board in the second inning when junior shortstop Ricci Lugo (San Clemente, Ca./San Clemente) led off the inning with a single. Sophomore first baseman Kari Koller (Rocklin, Ca./Del Oro) followed with an RBI double. Following a Lisa Krueger (Mission Viejo, Ca./Aliso Niguel) sacrifice, senior catcher Kriste Romano (Mesa, Az./Red Mountain) roped a clutch two-out double, plating Koller. Senior pitcher Theresa Hornick (Edmonds, Wash./Seattle Prep) kept the Scarlet Knights off balance all game, scattering three hits. Two of those hits came in the seventh inning, when Rutgers put a run on the board. However, with the tying run on second, Hornick induced a game-ending groundout.

After only manufacturing two runs in the opener, the Villanova offense exploded for nine runs in the first inning against Penn State. Junior outfielder Robin Flier (Lafayette, Ca./Acalanes) started the rally off with a single. Sophomore Allison Wisniewski (Smithtown, NY/Smithtown) followed with a walk, bringing senior second baseman Sara Carlson (Langley, B.C.) to the plate. Carlson singled, loading the bases. Koller stepped to the plate and laced an RBI single, scoring Flier and Wisniewski. Krueger followed with a single of her own, scoring Carlson. Sophomore outfielder Kristen Yauch (Tucson, Az./St. Gregory College Prep) reached on an error by the third baseman, allowing Koller to score. Third baseman Sarah Wall (Hollywood, Fl/American Heritage) reached on an error by the first baseman, with Krueger scoring on the play. Sophmore catcher Veronica Alvarez (Miami, Fl./Carrollton) reached on an error, allowing Yauch to come home. Lugo followed with an RBI single, scoring Wall and Alvarez. Flier recorded her second hit of the inning, and Wisneski reached on the fourth Nittany Lion error of the inning. Lugo scored on the play, giving 'Nova a 9-0 lead. Sophomore hurler Shannon Williams (Allentown, Pa./Emmaus) was spectacular, allowing only three hits and one run.

Villanova added an insurance run in the third when Wisniewski doubled home Flier, making the score 10-1.

In the Wildcats' third game of the day, sophomore Kristen Haynes (Fairfax, Ca./Sir Francis Drake) mastered St. Francis, striking out six and allowing only one hit. Villanova's offense came out swinging again, putting six runs on the board in the first. Flier again started the rally with a single, scoring on a Wisniewski RBI single. Carlson roped a single, scoring Wisniewski, Koller reached on a fielder's choice and Krueger drew a walk, scoring Carlson. Yauch then walked, bringing Wall to the plate. Wall lined a single scoring Koller and Krueger, and advancing Yauch to third. Yauch then scored on a Romano groundout. 'Nova put another run on the board in the fourth, when Kristen Strait (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) doubled home Flier. In the sixth, Strait recorded her second RBI of the game when she doubled home Wisniewski, who had reached on an error.

With its #1 seeding on Sunday, Villanova drew a game with St. Francis and prevailed 4-0. Williams and Haynes combined to throw seven innings of three-hit shutout ball, while the offense continued to put runs on the board. For the third straight game, the Wildcats scored in the first inning. Flier singled and scored on a single by Koller. Villanova added a run on a solo homerun by Alvarez in the second. The homer was Alvarez's first of the fall.

The Wildcats plated two more runs in the fourth when Lugo tripled home Krueger and Yauch, who had both singled. Villanova's last run of the game came in the sixth when Krueger singled, advanced to third on a Yauch double and then scored when Strait reached on an error. 'Nova brought a perfect 4-0 record into their second game against Rutgers but were unable to keep the offense rolling, dropping a 4-1 decision.

The Rutgers bats came alive for eleven hits, en route to putting four runs on the board against Hornick. Hornick finished the game with five strikeouts. The lone Villanova run came in the fourth inning when Carlson tripled and scored on a Koller single.

Villanova is back in action on Sunday, hosting the Villanova Tournament. The Wildcats will play a 9:00 game against Drexel and a doubleheader with Princeton, starting at 1:00.