Feb. 20, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. – Villanova (1-2) got a great pitching performance from Caitlin Delahaba that quieted the previously hot South Carolina (5-2) bats in a 3-0 victory on Saturday morning during the UCF Invitational.
Freshman Hannah Milks got a hit in her first career start for the Gamecocks, while sophomore Lauren Lackey reached base twice.
Villanova benefited from a Gamecock fielding error to take the lead in the fifth. Shannon O’Brien reached to start the inning on the fielding miscue and stole her way into scoring position when Amanda Marquez came through with a double to left center to score the game’s first run. After Marquez moved to third on the sacrifice bunt, the Wildcats got her home with the safety squeeze by Taylor Olafson. The Wildcats added a run in the sixth when Jess O’Boyle took a pitch over the left field wall to make it 3-0.
The Gamecocks had their chances, with the inning ending three times with a runner on third. The best of those came in the fifth, as the bases were loaded with one out after freshman Briana Hamilton got hit by a pitch, freshman Hannah Milks beat out a bunt and sophomore Lauren Lackey reached on a fielder’s choice. But Delahaba got a shallow fly ball and a groundout to escape the jam without any damage.
Delahaba (1-1) pitched a two-hit gem, walking one while striking out four in the shutout. Goodwin (0-1) got the loss, allowing three runs, one earned, on three hits and two walks. She got two strikeouts.
