This past weekend, Villanova baseball kicked off its season, traveling to Miami, FL, from Feb. 13-15, to face Florida International University. The Wildcats took game one, but fell in games two and three, ultimately losing the series.
Game one saw an early lead from FIU, lasting for only one inning, before redshirt sophomore Mark Gialluisi had an RBI double to tie it up.
Villanova took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second and were helped significantly by the dominating start from junior pitcher Jake Francis. He pitched four innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, and later retired eight batters in a row.
In the fifth, FIU threatened to score with the bases loaded, but senior pitcher Bobby Finn allowed only one run in.
With the score tied, 3-3, senior Michael Wooley hit a three-run home run in the eighth, with a sacrifice fly coming later in the inning from graduate Carter Richey to extend the lead to 7-3.
“He can score against pretty much anybody,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said.
After the ‘Cats allowed one more run, senior Graham Moore closed out the victory for the Wildcats.
On Saturday, the second game of the series saw the Panthers jump on the Wildcats early. In the first inning, Villanova freshman Jack Roventini got on base and stole second and third. Sophomore Austin Lemon knocked him in.
“Speed kills, and Jack has it,” Mulvey said. “It’s awesome to see, but we certainly expected it from him.”
Richey got on base in the second, and senior Collin Quintano launched a home run to give Villanova a 3-0 lead.
Between the second and fourth innings, FIU scored 13 runs, two of which were home runs. This concluded both teams’ scoring, as FIU was able to shut down the Wildcats’ offense, finishing the game,13-3.
“We gave the game away because we couldn’t throw any strikes,” Mulvey said.
Villanova’s bullpen pitched well and held FIU scoreless at the end, with sophomore Matthew Kahn pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts. After Kahn, freshman Ryan Conrad made his collegiate debut, pitching a scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout.
The final game saw an intense matchup with both teams looking to take the series. The teams were scoreless through the first three innings.
Villanova put up a run in the fourth, which FIU matched in the bottom of the inning.
In this pitcher’s duel, it wasn’t until the seventh inning that the Panthers broke free and took a one-run lead.
The Wildcats tied it up on an error in the top of the ninth, but junior Jeremiah Holder couldn’t prevent FIU’s Boston Doeschot from hitting a sacrifice fly to center in the bottom of the ninth that won the game.
“We almost won that game. The bullpen was good again. But we have to be able to have the next play mentality and have each other’s backs,” Mulvey said.“We’re definitely confident, and we’re happy with how we responded to Saturday. This is what the nonconference schedule is like. [Lipscomb] is a gritty team.”
Villanova will now travel to Nashville, TN, to play a three-game series against Lipscomb University from Feb. 19-21.
