This past weekend, Villanova baseball (9-10) hosted UNC Asheville (12-12, 1-2 Big South) for a three-game series at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth Meeting. After coming up short, 12-9, in the first game, the Wildcats came back to win the series, 10-4 and 11-6.
Villanova kicked things off on Friday as junior pitcher Jake Francis took the mound. UNC Asheville quickly put five runs on the board in the first, followed by four more in the second inning.
Sophomore Brayden Leonard got on base in the first inning for Villanova. A walk from senior Collin Quintano, followed by a sacrifice fly from fifth-year Carter Richey, gave the Wildcats two runs. Senior Michael Whooley and Quintano added a single and a double in the third to help chip away at UNC Asheville’s lead.
“It’s energizing, yes, but more importantly, you get to their bullpen,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said. “It’s important to get through their better arms so they can’t be saved for the next game.”
After UNC Asheville scored a few more runs, Villanova faced a 12-4 deficit.
Villanova gained some momentum in the eighth, starting with a bases-clearing double from freshman Larry Hotaling. Leonard and Whooley contributed a few more runs to make the score 12-9 by the end of the inning.
Although Villanova closer junior Jeremiah Holder was able to hold off the Bulldogs in the ninth, the Wildcats went down in order, and they lost the game 12-9.
“We did a great job swinging at our pitches and controlling the zone,” Mulvey said.
Saturday saw a slow start, as neither team scored a run in the first two innings.
“We have to just stay in the approach and not try to make things happen,” Mulvey said. “Let the game come to you and don’t miss the opportunity”.
Hotaling and sophomore Jojo Montgomery opened up scoring for Villanova with a couple of base hits to drive runners in and score.
“Larry’s getting better as the season goes on, and he’s getting more comfortable handling the high velocity,” Mulvey said. “He’s adapting to the moment”.
Whooley singled in two runs, sophomore John Freitag scored another run, and redshirt-sophomore Austin Lemon added one more in the fifth.
Fifth-year Jack Kelley was dominant on the mound, pitching five innings with only one unearned run. This continued his 11-inning scoreless streak, and he also collected two strikeouts on the day.
“[Kelley] is gaining confidence as he has good outings and gets ahead of good hitters,” Mulvey said. “He throws two variations of fastball, a changeup, a curveball and a slide cutter. He came to Villanova with most of his pitches, but he’s always working on adding to his repertoire.”
After giving up one in the sixth, UNC Asheville saw an opportunity and scored three more in the seventh to make it 5-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, freshman Roventini, Richey, and Leonard all scored to put Villanova up 8-4 by the end of the inning. Lemon singled in the eighth to add two more runs to close out the game 10-4.
Sophomore J.P. Podgorski closed the game, allowing only one hit and one strikeout in 2.1 innings pitched.
In the final game of the series on Sunday, UNC Asheville was quick to get on the board. However, Whooley hit an RBI double to plate Lemon and tie the game at 1-1.
Montgomery singled in the third inning, and Leonard knocked him in with a double for the lead. Quintano then hit a double to extend Villanova’s lead, 4-3.
After taking a 6-1 lead, UNC Asheville started to close the deficit. Due to several errors and miscommunications from the Wildcats, the Bulldogs cut the lead to 6-5 by the end of the sixth.
Villanova answered back with a double from Hotaling. Montgomery and Whooley both knocked in runs, and Freitag had the biggest swing with a bases-clearing double to cap off the series.
“That’s just the way the game went,” Coach Mulvey said. “We did a great job on the mound Sunday, getting ahead in the count, and we had five really strong innings.”
Sophomore Jack Chavez and Roventini combined to close the game, and allowed a pair of runs to end the game 11-6.
The Wildcats will face Hofstra (6-12, 2-4 CAA) on Wednesday, March 25th, in Plymouth Meeting, PA, at 1 p.m.
