Villanova Softball's Brette Lawrence Throws Perfect Game
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was a history making Sunday for Villanova University senior softball pitcher Brette Lawrence.
In an 8-0 road win over St. John's, Lawrence became just the 3rd pitcher in program history to throw a perfect game, retiring all 18 batters she faced.
"I felt great going into the day," Lawrence tells KYW Newsradio. "It was a big game for us. One that we definitely needed to win to help us get ready for the Big East Conference Tournament. As the game went on, kind of had the thought in the back of my mind (about the perfect game), but just kept plugging away and going at the hitters."
Listen to the entire interview with Villanova's Brette Lawrence
Villanova hung a four spot on the board in the third inning to give Lawrence some breathing room. The Wildcats then broke the game open with a three-run top of the sixth inning. The eight-run deficit meant that if Lawrence could hold St. John's off the board in the bottom of the inning, the game would be over after six innings. It also meant she was now three outs away from history.
"I thought in the dugout, things were going through my mind about, "Okay, this is it. Three more outs,'" she says. "But once I got on the mound I settled myself down and told myself to throw the best pitch every pitch and take it one pitch at a time."
Lawrence got a couple of fly outs to start that final inning, before wrapping things up with her fourth strikeout.
"It was kind of shocking at first because it seemed like a normal regular game that we won," Lawrence says. "But then I was like, 'Oh my gosh, wait a minute, that was just a perfect game, holy cow!' It was really exciting, especially to see all of my teammates react and know how special the moment was."
The victory improved Lawrence to 21-7 on the season. She has an ERA of 2.34. Her perfect game earned her Big East Pitcher of the Week honors.
Lawrence and Villanova host Lehigh for a doubleheader on Wednesday.
