From March 14 to March 16, Villanova baseball hosted the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) for its first three-game weekend series of the year. The Wildcats (10-8) took the series, 2-1.
On Friday, March 14, Villanova won, 2-1. The Wildcats were mercied, 13-3, on Saturday. They capped the series with a 10-3 victory on Sunday.
The weekend marked Villanova’s fifth consecutive series win. This is only the second time this has ever happened in Villanova baseball history.
“It was great to beat a good team without all of our guys in the lineup,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said. “It was a statement win for our guys.”
Villanova was missing two key players. Graduate starter Luke McCollough did not take the mound, and graduate catcher Jason Neff was not available on Sunday.
The Wildcats took game one on Friday afternoon via walk-off RBI single by Neff.
Senior graduate pitcher Bobby Olsen went eight innings, striking out nine and allowing one run. Sophomore Jake Francis pitched one inning and was credited with the win.
Villanova went down early, as NJIT scored its first and only run in the first inning on an RBI double.
The Wildcats tied it up in the third on an RBI single from graduate Jason Neff.
It was scoreless until the bottom of the ninth when, yet again, Neff had another RBI single, bringing in junior Michael Whooley to win the game.
In game two, Villanova sent six pitchers to the mound, with none having much success, as they allowed 13 runs in seven innings.
“We did not perform up to our standards Saturday,” Mulvey said. “It was a tough game and got away from us early.”
The Wildcats went down, 5-0, in the first after an NJIT grand slam. Villanova was never able to come back from this deficit.
Offensively, the Wildcats scored all three of their runs in the fourth, behind RBIs from freshman Brayden Leonard and senior Josue Valdez.
Sophomore pitcher C.J. Furey was credited with the loss.
In game three, Villanova gave the ball to sophomore Jake Francis, who went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs and striking out three.
Graduate student Alec Sachais came out of the bullpen firing 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball. Sachais struck out five and earned the win.
“Sachais has been tremendous for us,” Mulvey said. “He has been a big boost for our team when he can throw up some zeros and keep you in the game.”
NJIT scored one run in the first, fourth and fifth innings. That was all they tallied against Villanova’s pitchers.
In the third, the Wildcats put up five runs behind a grand slam from Leonard, the first of his career.
Freshman JoJo Montgomery was the offensive player of the game for Villanova, going 4-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs.
“It shows them [Montgomery and Leonard] what they’re capable of,” Mulvey said. “It shows the rest of the team we can trust anyone that is in there at any given time.”
The Wildcats will host Princeton on Wednesday, March 19. Villanova will then travel to Spartanburg, SC to play Wofford in a three-game series from March 21 to March 23.
