Villanova baseball has a four-game winning streak after sweeping Seton Hall this past weekend. The first two games resulted in a 3–1 win and a dominating 9–2 victory for Villanova. The Wildcats then followed the games up with a shutout in the final game of the series, winning, 3–0.
These conference wins give the ‘Cats a 3–6 conference and 11–21 overall record. They now stand sixth overall in the Big East.
It’s difficult to win on the road, much less take every game in the series. The Wildcats have improved their away record to 10–17, as they’re playing some of their best baseball of the season.
“Part of our plan was to play non-conference road games to prepare for the number of conference road games,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said. “Our guys are used to it now so they know what to expect. Our coaches do a great job of preparing them with scouting reports.”
The first game against the Pirates was a pitcher’s duel, with only four total runs. Villanova scored the first run in the third inning on a hit-by-pitch from grad student DH Jason Neff.
Freshman pitcher Jake Francis started the game and threw five scoreless innings until he allowed one run in the sixth inning to tie the game up. Francis finished with 6.0 innings pitched, allowing one run on four hits, one walk and three strikeouts.
He also managed to earn the win, as the Wildcats scored immediately after, with a Dylan Dennis single. The graduate student first baseman went 2-for-4 on the day with one RBI, one walk and one run.
Villanova added an insurance run in the following inning on a solo homer from junior catcher Josue Valdez. Graduate student pitchers Stephen Turzai and Alec Sachais each threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen to hold the score at 3-1. Senior Patrick Montfort came in to close the game, and he did just that, allowing no runs or hits to earn the save.
It was an all-around team effort in the first game that the Wildcats carried over into Game 2. The bats got started early, with Villanova taking a 7-0 lead into the fifth inning.
Sophomore shortstop Michael Whooley sparked this offense with a two-RBI single in the first inning. He then wrapped up the 7-0 streak with a two-run homer in the fourth, giving him four RBIs on the day.
Neff was efficient in the second game as well, going 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBIs. Graduate third baseman Jack O’Reilly led the team in hits going 3-for-6 including a two-run double in the second inning.
The high-scoring offense was paired with a dominant defense as the Pirates never came close to winning this game. Graduate student Luke McCollough pitched six innings and allowed one run on four hits and three strikeouts to earn the win. Grad student Rian Schwede then came into relief and dominated with three strikeouts and only one run on two hits in 3.0 innings to finish the game.
This 9-2 victory gave the Wildcats the confidence to sweep the series in Game 3. The game was scoreless through five innings, proving to be another defensive masterclass on both sides. Eventually, the Wildcats scored three runs through a ground out, sacrifice fly and a single, the latter being hit by Neff, yet again.
It may not have been the offensive onslaught from the day prior, but the pitching remained dominant in the third game. Senior Devin Rivera threw seven scoreless innings to earn his first win of the season. Rivera has been 0–6 up until this matchup.
Graduate student Ryan Mintz came in after and allowed no runs on one hit en route to a two-inning save. The pitching this weekend was much improved compared to the rest of the season. Both the bullpen and the starters were dialed in this series.
“We were able to perform in clutch situations both on the mound and in the field,” Mulvey said. “When we were in spots where we needed a big out we got it. We made the play, got the hit, moved the runner, scored the runner and made the pitch. We were able to perform in those pressure situations.”
This winning streak is tied for the longest over the last two seasons for the Wildcats. It has helped them reach double-digit wins much quicker than last season as they are only three wins away from last year’s total.
Villanova baseball will look to continue its success in the next matchup against Monmouth University on Wednesday. Villanova will then face off against Creighton in another Big East series this upcoming weekend.
