VILLANOVA, Pa. - The University of Pennsylvania softball team carried its momentum from the weekend series against Dartmouth into Wednesday's mid-week clash with Villanova. For a second straight game, the Quaker bats exploded for double-digit runs as they defeated the Wildcats, 11-4. 

Notes

* Penn's win over Villanova is its second win over the Wildcats in the last two years. It marks the first time since 2006-07 that the Red and Blue have defeated Villanova in back-to-back years.

* The 11 runs from the Quakers mark the second consecutive game that the team has scored double-digit runs. 

* The Red and Blue have recorded double-digit hits in six of their last eight games. 

* Corrie Phillips' four hits and four RBI mark career highs in both stats. 

* Tabitha Dyer earned the win in the circle. It's her sixth win of the season. 

How it Happened

The Quakers jumped out to an early lead against the Wildcats. Sam Pederson led off with a double and then Sarah Cwiertnia brought her home with a single down the right side to give Penn an early lead. Senior captain Hannah Gibbons added a second run by bringing in Cwiertnia to score as the Red and Blue went up 2-0 after the first frame. 

The two teams traded scoreless sides before Villanova tied the game in the second. The Wildcats got started with a lead-off double and then a second double evened the score at two runs apiece. A third double brought in a pair of runs to make it a four-run inning for Villanova. Tabitha Dyer took over for Julia Longo in the circle and struck out the first batter she faced swinging to retire the side. 

While Penn lost the lead in the second, it answered with a four-run inning of its own in the third. With hits from Kayla Ketring, Sarah Cwiertnia and Emma Nedley the Quakers loaded the bases. Gibbons tallied her second RBI of the afternoon as she was hit by a pitch to bring a run across. Laurel McKelvey added two more runs with a single to left field to put the Red and Blue back in the lead, 5-4. Another single — this time from Ashley Waco — brought in McKelvey to extend the Penn lead to two. 

The Quakers kept the scoring going in the fourth. Cwiertnia and Nedley reached base to put runners on early in the inning. Freshman Corrie Phillips scored both runners with a double to put the Quakers up, 8-4. 

For a second time, Penn loaded the bases in the fifth after Sarah Ketring, Pederson, and Jessica England all reached base. With two outs, Nedley singled to center field to bring home Ketring and add a run. 

The Penn pitchers fed off of the red-hot Quaker bats. Tabitha Dyer allowed just one hit in 3.2 innings of play while striking out two. 

The Red and Blue added two insurance runs in the seventh. Kayla Ketring singled and then England followed up with a walk to put two runners on base. Both Ketring and England stole second to advance into scoring position. Phillips added her third and fourth RBI of the afternoon to bring the pair of runners home and extend the Penn lead to 11-4. 

A 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the seventh, courtesy of Jennifer Brann, closed out the win for the Quakers.

What's Next

The Quakers head to Ithaca this weekend for a three-game series against Cornell.