VILLANOVA, Pa. – The opening conference series went to the visitors this weekend with Villanova softball falling to Connecticut 9-8 in a see-saw battle at the Villanova Softball Complex on Sunday afternoon.
It was a back-and-forth affair on the Main Line with the teams combining for 10 runs in the second inning, Connecticut coming back from a four-run deficit to take a sixth-frame lead before Villanova threatened but ultimately could not topple the Huskies.
A quartet of players totaled two-hit games for Villanova (8-13, 1-2 BIG EAST), led by Brooklyn Ostrowski's two-hit day with four RBI all coming on a second-inning grand slam.
Kelsey White reached all four times with two singles and a pair of bases on balls, Elaina Wagner totaled a pair of hits and runs plus a walk and first-year Ava Mahnken recorded two singles.
Grace Reed added a solo shot for her second dinger of the season while Maranda Runco reached with three walks for the most free passes by a VU player in one game this year.
Kat Gallant threw three innings as VU's starting pitcher, striking out three while facing 17 batters. Lexi Kobryn got the loss after two innings of relief, surrendering four runs and White got the other six outs in the circle.
Connecticut drew first blood with three runs in the second frame, using a leadoff single and stolen base for runners before three straight two-out singles made it a 3-0 ballgame.
It didn't take the 'Cats long to answer as Reed blasted the first strike of the VU second-inning hacks out of the park, leaving the yard in a hurry to get Villanova on the board.
Lilly St. Jean and White each singled and Madison Ostrowski worked a walk before a Mahnken groundout and wild pitch evened it up at three in the blink of an eye.
Wagner and Runco each reached on two-out walks to juice the bags, at which point the older Ostrowski crushed a colossal shot off the scoreboard for a grand slam and 7-3 Villanova edge after two.
The Huskies got one back in the ensuing third frame with a pair of infield singles and a throwing error plating an unearned run, moving the VU advantage to 7-4.
UConn kept chipping away, capitalizing on a leadoff double in the fifth with a two-out RBI knock to make it a two-run game. The Huskies came all the way back in the sixth, stacking together a single, walk and two-RBI double to tie it before taking a 9-7 lead on a pair of two-baggers.
The Wildcats threatened to match that in the opportunity right after, loading the bases on singles from Wagner and B. Ostrowski before a hit by pitch juiced the bags. White drew a walk to bring the first one across but a flyout ended the chance with VU trailing 9-8 after six.
After White kept the deficit at one in the seventh, Mahnken singled on the first pitch of the seventh to give Villanova a baserunner right away but a pair of batted-ball outs and a swinging K granted the series to Connecticut.
UP NEXT: The 'Cats host four games at the Villanova Softball Complex in the coming week, welcoming Monmouth on Wednesday afternoon before a three-game series against Creighton at the weekend.
