VILLANOVA, PA – Monica Clark (Bryn Mawr, PA/Archbishop Carroll) went 2-for-4 with an RBI double, a stolen base and a pair of walks, but the Rider University softball team was swept by Villanova, 15-0 and 9-1, Thursday afternoon at the VU Softball Complex. With the setbacks, the Broncs slip to 2-13, while the Wildcats are now 11-8. 

The Wildcats jumped out in front with an eight-run bottom of the first. Nikki Alden's two-run triple got the scoring started, before she started the second-inning scoring with an RBI double to make it 8-0 Villanova. Caroline Jones followed with a two-run home run in the second, before Alden added a two-run shot of her own in the fourth. Becky Ducar's two-run double and a run-scoring groundout from Lauren Herschberg made it 15-0 Villanova after four. Rider loaded the bases in the fifth, but the Wildcats wiggled out of the jam and took the 15-0 Game 1 victory. 

Villanova again built a first-inning lead in Game 2, pushing three across on a pair of run-scoring doubles. Megan Ruiz tripled home a run and scored on a sacrifice fly in the second to make it 5-0 Wildcats before three more scored in the fourth on an error and two RBI singles. Clark kept the Broncs alive with an RBI single to score Sabrina Torres (Clifton, NJ/Paramus Catholic) in the top of the fifth, but the Wildcats walked off on Herschberg's RBI single in the bottom of the frame.

• Elyse Cuttic (Easton, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) took the Game 1 loss, allowing eight earned runs in an inning plus.  

• Emily Oltman (Collegeville, PA/Perkiomen Valley) took the Game 2 loss, allowing six runs, five earned on seven hits and three walks in 2.1 innings pitched. She struck out two. Oltman pitched a clean inning of relief in Game 1, allowing just one walk, while striking out one. 

• Toni Nino (Adelanto, CA/Silverado) reached base safely on three of her four plate appearances, tallying a single and two walks. 

• Gabby Bram (Jackson, NJ/Red Bank Catholic), Amanda Crimarco (Levittown, NY/Kellenberg) and Ellie Oruska (Chadds Ford, PA/Garnet Valley) each contributed a double, while Torres and Josettee Spencer (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) also had one hit each. 

The Broncs play host to Yale in their home openers, Saturday afternoon at Herb and Joan Young Field. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 1 p.m.