Over the weekend, Villanova baseball traveled to Spartanburg, SC, to take on Wofford College in a three-game series.
The Wildcats (12-10) dropped the series, losing two of three games. They fell in the first two matchups, 11-1 and 11-10, before bouncing back with a 10-5 victory in the finale.
Graduate pitcher Bobby Olsen got the start in game one. He lasted 2.2 innings, giving up seven hits and seven earned runs, suffering his first loss of the season. It was a rough outing for Olsen, coming off the Big East Pitcher of the Week honors he earned last week.
“It was not Olsen’s best effort,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said. “You can’t expect one pitcher to throw seven shutout innings every time.”
Wofford broke the game open in the third inning, scoring six runs, a deficit Villanova couldn’t overcome.
The Wildcats managed just one run, a solo home run from junior Aidan Barry in the fifth inning.
Wofford added two runs in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to extend its lead to 11-1. The Terriers held the Wildcats scoreless in the seventh, sealing the win via mercy rule.
The Wildcats used six pitchers, but none found much success. Walks were a major issue, as the Villanova staff issued eight free passes.
Offensively, Villanova struggled to generate baserunners, managing just four hits and one walk.
In game two, sophomore Jake Francis took the hill for Villanova. Francis allowed five runs in four innings.
Wofford struck first with a run in the second. Villanova responded in the third when graduate Jason Neff launched a home run.
In the fourth, junior Michael Whooley and Neff hit back-to-back home runs to give the Wildcats a 7-2 lead.
Wofford answered right back, putting up four runs in the fourth on a trio of RBI singles. The Terriers added one in the fifth, two in the sixth and two more in the seventh to take an 11-7 lead.
Villanova mounted a rally in the ninth, scoring three runs on a Neff double and a single from freshman Brayden Leonard.
Down by one, with the tying run on base and no outs, the Wildcats had a chance to extend the game. Villanova couldn’t capitalize, ultimately falling, 11-10.
“We rallied back late,” Mulvey said. “But it wasn’t enough. We didn’t put our foot down on this game, and it got away from us.”
Graduate pitcher Alec Sachais took the loss, allowing four runs over 3.1 innings out of the bullpen.
In game three, the Wildcats scored four runs in the first inning, highlighted by a three-run homer from Leonard.
Villanova added two more in the second, thanks to an RBI single from Barry and a run that scored on a Wofford error.
Graduate Luke McCollough delivered a strong start on the mound, tossing five innings while allowing just one earned run and striking out two.
“He pounded the zone,” Mulvey said. “Attacked, got ahead early, all the same recipe for success that you need to execute on the mound.”
The Wildcats extended their lead to 10-1 in the sixth, as Neff hit his third home run of the series
Wofford scored one run in the sixth, one in the seventh, and two in the ninth, but it was not enough to complete the sweep. Villanova secured a 10-5 victory.
The Wildcats will next travel to Dover, DE, on Wednesday, March 26, to take on Delaware State in the Liberty Bell Classic.
“We need to execute at Delaware State,” Mulvey said. “We need to throw strikes and team at-bats. If we do that there’s no reason why we don’t come out of there with a win.”
Villanova will then return home to host Long Island University for a three-game series from March 28 to March 30.
