Villanova baseball continued conference play last weekend. It went 0-3 against St. John’s. The Wildcats were routed in the first two games losing 13-7 and 11-0. They then bounced back to take the Red Storm to extra innings in the final game of the aries but ultimately fell short, 3-1.
This was the second Big East series and the second time being sweeped in the Big East for Villanova. The ‘Cats lost all three games against Georgetown a week prior. The ‘Cats now fall to 7-21 overall and 0-6 in the Big East.
Friday’s game was high-scoring, but St. John’s was able to take full control as Villanova had to claw back from a 9-1 deficit in the fifth inning.
It was able to come back within two off of some timely hitting, highlighted by a fifth inning triple from graduate catcher Jason Neff that brought in two runners.
Graduate first baseman Dylan Dennis had an impact as well, batting 3-4 with 1 RBI that initiated the comeback. Graduate outfielder Jack O’Reilly also chipped in going 2-5, including a 2-RBI single in the sixth.
Any chance the Wildcats had was lost in the ninth inning when the defense allowed four runs, resulting in the 13-7 loss. Graduate pitchers Alec Sachais and Stephen Turzai allowed two runs each, but only one of them was earned.
Errors were a constant issue in this game for the ‘Cats. Villanova had six total that contributed to six unearned runs. This made it difficult for graduate starting pitcher Rian Schwede who threw 4.1 innings and allowed nine runs (six earned) on nine hits. The pitching woes early in games for Villanova continues.
Graduate pitcher Ryan Mintz was able to shine from the bullpen, keeping the team in the game. He pitched 2.2 innings, recorded four strikeouts, and only allowed one hit. The Villanova bullpen was efficient all weekend.
Game two on Saturday was one to forget. The Wildcats were shut out, 11-0, despite having seven hits. The best performer on offense was sophomore third baseman Michael Whooley who batted 1-2 with 2 walks.
Senior pitcher Devin Rivera continued to struggle in this game, earning his sixth loss of the year. Rivera is now 0-6 as a starter. He allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits in just three innings. The Villanova defense did no favors for its starter for the second game in a row, giving up four errors and two unearned runs.
Freshman pitcher Jake Francis was able to come in and throw four innings, allowing only one run on four hits. However, the reliever’s efforts weren’t rewarded. The Wildcat offense went silent all game.
Villanova had a better showing in their final game on Sunday. Both teams went scoreless for 12 straight innings in what was a pitcher’s duel.
Graduate starting pitcher Luke McCollough opened up the game with 5.1 scoreless innings with only two hits allowed. Four players out of the bullpen then combined to throw five scoreless innings to send the game to extra innings and beyond.
With the Villanova offense quiet yet again, the game came down to which team had the most pitchers available. Unfortunately, freshman CJ Furley and senior Cade Udell weren’t able to keep the scoreless streak alive for the Wildcats.
Udell allowed an RBI single in the 13th inning that brought in two runs including a runner Furley left on base. A third run then came in on a Udell wild pitch. Whooley tried to get some runs back on an RBI single in the bottom half of the inning, but it was not enough as the ‘Cats fell, 3-1.
It was a disappointing end to the weekend after what seemed like a game Villanova could steal from a conference rival.
“Our bullpen pitched very well all weekend,” Head Coach Kevin Mulvey said. “Offensively we didn’t do a good enough job cashing in our opportunities to score.”
The Wildcats will take on Penn at home on Wednesday, April 10, followed by another Big East series against Seton Hall on the road.
