Game 6 Box | Game 7 Box | Highlights
STORRS, Conn. – After losing its opening game of the tournament, Villanova won four straight to be crowned champions of the 2021 BIG EAST Softball Championship presented by JEEP Saturday at Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex. BIG EAST Pitcher and Player of the Year Paige Rauch added BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player to her growing list of accolades after going 3-0 in the circle and knocking home what proved to be the decisive three-run home run in the seventh inning of Game 7. The Wildcats beat UConn 5-1 in Game 6 on Saturday to force a Game 7, which VU won 6-1 to clinch the series.
The title is Villanova’s first in 18 conference championship appearances, while the Wildcats become the first team in 19 years to lose their opening game of the double-elimination tournament only to rally and win the league trophy. Villanova earns the BIG EAST’s automatic bid into the 2021 NCAA Championship, marking its first NCAA berth in program history. The NCAA Selection Show is slated for tomorrow at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Rauch was joined on the All-Tournament Team by fellow Wildcats Megan Kern, Angela Giampolo and Julia DaCosta. UConn’s Payton Kinney, Briana Marcelino and Devon Casazza also earned All-Tourney honors, as did DePaul’s Jessica Cothern and Butler’s Lauren Fey.
Rauch finished the week with a 2.50 ERA and 18 strikeouts, while going 3-for-8 from the plate as the senior was walked 13 times over five games. DaCosta batted .412 with two doubles, Kern was .368 from the plate with nine RBI, while Giampolo batted .333 with 10 RBI. Marcelino batted .533 with a team-high four runs, Casazza batted .273 with a clutch double and home run, while Kinney went 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA. Fey batted .500 with a double and two RBI, while Cothern batted .667 with a homer.
With UConn (22-20) one win away from winning the championship, Villanova (36-13) needed back-to-back wins on Saturday to win the trophy. In Game 6, Rauch struck out six and allowed just one earned run to score the complete game win. The Huskies scored that one run in the first inning after Marcelino and Sami Barnett singled, with Barnett’s knock sending Marcelino home. Ally Jones tied the game up in the third with a solo shot down the left field line, before Giampolo belted a grand slam over the left field fence to stretch the Wildcats’ lead to 5-1, where it remained. Marybeth Olson was tagged with the loss for UConn after 3.0 innings and four earned runs.
In Game 7, UConn once again jumped out to an early 1-0 lead thanks to a score in the first inning. Rauch surrendered back-to-back doubles by Marcelino and Reese Guevarra with Marcelino scoring. The Wildcats countered in the third inning with Dani Dabroski reaching base after an error and Rauch knocking a double to send her home. The Wildcats added single runs in the fourth and sixth to lead 3-1, before that impressive three-run shot by Rauch at the top of the seventh. Anissa Amarillas earned the win for Villanova with 5.0 innings of work and zero earned runs, while Meghan O’Neil was credited with the loss after 6.0 innings and five earned runs.
Villanova becomes the fifth team in BIG EAST Championship history to lose a game in the double-elimination tournament and continue on to win the trophy. Previous teams to rally include Notre Dame in 2002 (4-1), UConn in 1996 (3-1), Providence in 1994 (4-1) and the Huskies in 1991 (4-1). The 2002 Fighting Irish and 1991 Huskies are the only other teams to lose their tourney opener and go on to win the championship.
BIG EAST Softball Championship Presented by JEEP
Burrill Family Field at the Connecticut Softball Complex
DAY 1 – THURSDAY, MAY 13:
Game 1: No. 4 Butler 8, No. 1 DePaul 1– BEDN
Game 2: No. 3 UConn 4, No. 2 Villanova 3 – BEDN
Game 3: No. 2 Villanova 9, No. 1 DePaul 1 – BEDN
DAY 2 – FRIDAY, MAY 14:
Game 4: No. 3 UConn 4, No. 4 Butler 1 – FS2
Game 5: No. 2 Villanova 14, No. 4 Butler 5 – FS2
Day 3 – SATURDAY, May 15:
Game 6: No. 2 Villanova 5, No. 3 UConn 1– FS2
Game 7: No. 2 Villanova 6, No. 3 UConn 1– FS2