Katie Pierce Leads Softball to Sweep of Villanova

Senior Katie Pierce was 3-for-4 with four RBI in game two on Sunday.

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall softball team earned its first two BIG EAST wins of the season, sweeping a doubleheader with Villanova at Ivy Hill Park on Sunday. The Pirates staved off a late Wildcat rally to win game one, 4-2. In the second contest, SHU was led by senior Katie Pierce (Pittsford, Mass.), who was 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, triple, home run and four RBI. The Pirates are now 18-20 overall, 2-8 in the BIG EAST. Villanova falls to 6-25 overall, 0-10 in conference play.

In game one, Seton Hall took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning, when sophomore Maggie Simkiss (Exton, Pa.) singled up the middle, bringing senior Caitlin White (Lincoln University, Pa.) to the plate.

Villanova knotted the score at 1-1 in the top of the fourth, but Simkiss put the Pirates back in front with a two RBI double down the right field line in the bottom of the fifth. Leading 4-1 heading into the seventh, Seton Hall survived a bases loaded jam to hold on for the 4-2 win.

In the dramatic seventh, sophomore Maura Lund (Oak Park, Ill.) entered the game with no outs and a runner on second base. Lund got out of the inning, striking out and walking two to get the save, her first of the year. Junior Jessica Jones (Tyler, Texas) received the win for Seton Hall. Jones (4-9) pitched in relief of starter Ashley Arnett (Saugus, Calif.), throwing 2.2 innings with six strikeouts and no earned runs.

SHU fell behind early in game two, spotting Villanova a 6-2 lead after two and a half innings. However, an RBI triple from Pierce in the bottom of the third got the Pirates’ offense rolling.

After its two-run third, Seton Hall took the lead for good in the fourth inning, putting five runs on the board. Pierce and sophomore Jenna Best (Medford, N.J.) led the charge in the fourth. Pierce hit a two-RBI double to give Seton Hall a 7-6 lead. Best came to the plate next, singling to right field to knock home two more runs, extending the Pirate lead to 9-7.

Freshman Kim Schweitzer (Syracuse, N.Y.) (8-7) earned the win for Seton Hall in game two. Schweitzer started before being relieved by Arnett in the third inning, only to reenter at the top of the fourth. Schweitzer pitched 6.0 innings, striking out two.

The Pirates return to action on Tuesday, Apr. 11, when they travel to Brooklyn, N.Y., for a 4:30 p.m., doubleheader with Long Island University at LIU Field.

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