This past weekend, Villanova baseball traveled to Arlington, TX, where it was swept by the University of Texas at Arlington, 3-0, in a three game series.
Prior to the weekend’s games, the Wildcats (10-13) hosted Hofstra University (8-14, 4-5 Coastal Athletic Association) at the Villanova Ballpark on Wednesday, March 25, defeating the Pride, 9-8.
“Hofstra was a tremendous win all around,” head coach Kevin Mulvey said. “I loved the way we responded and we stayed true to our approach. It’s a testament to the team.”
The three-game series against Arlington (11-16) kicked off on Friday, March 27. The ‘Cats fell 9-3 in the opening match.
During the first inning, Villanova put one runner on base, before a strong Arlington defense ended their offensive rally.
After Arlington loaded the bases in the bottom of the second, senior pitcher Bobby Finn ended the inning on a double play. Despite the play, Villanova allowed one run off an error.
Though the Wildcats continued to get runners on base, they struggled to score.
“We did a good job getting ahead in counts,” Mulvey said. “Luckily we were able to get their pitcher over 100 pitchers in under five innings, but we just didn’t get that big hit with the opportunities.”
UT Arlington collected two more runs on a home run in the third, before sophomore pitcher Matthew Kahn stepped to the mound. Another run in the fifth gave Arlington a 4-0 advantage.
In the sixth inning, senior utility Collin Quintano and sophomore outfielder John Freitag put themselves on base before hits from redshirt sophomore Mark Gialluisi and freshman outfielder Jack Roventini got the two across the plate.
After Villanova went quiet at the plate again, UT Arlington launched two home runs to take a 6-2 lead over the Wildcats.
In the eighth, UT Arlington scored three more on extra base hits to extend their lead to 9-2.
Redshirt sophomore outfielder Austin Lemon got on base for the ‘Cats with a single and scored on a wild pitch for their final run.
The game ended, 9-3.
On Saturday, March 28, graduate pitcher Jack Kelly continued his run on the mound for Villanova, keeping the Mavericks scoreless until the second inning.
As Villanova’s offense stayed quiet until the fourth inning, where they finally got men on base. Knocks from Gialluisi and Roventini gave the ‘Cats a 2-1 lead.
“Mark [Gialluisi] has done a fantastic job behind the plate blocking and throwing,” Mulvey said. “Offensively, he’s dangerous and can hit the ball in the gap or over the fence and he’s more than capable of getting hits in two strike counts.”
After the ‘Cats failed to stretch their scoring run into the next inning, UT Arlington broke the game open with a bases clearing triple. After adding three more in the inning, they were up 7-2 on Villanova.
The Mavericks offense stayed consistent for the rest of the game, adding two runs in both the sixth and seventh innings.
Sophomore pitcher JP Podgorski and sophomore pitcherJack Chavez came out of the bullpen, quieting the rest of UT Arlington’s offense.
Villanova plated one more run but dropped the second game of the series 11-3.
“I feel we did a good job with pitching this weekend,” Mulvey said. “The pitching staff gave us a chance to win every game, I’m looking forward to that against Butler.”
Villanova played its final game of the series on Sunday, March 29.
Graduate pitcher Will Parkinson took the mound for Villanova as both teams remained scoreless after the first.
However, in the second, UT Arlington collected a run on an RBI double down the left field line to make it 1-0.
In the fourth, senior infielder Michael Whooley got on base and after graduate third baseman Carter Ricchey grounded out to short, Whooley tied the game 1-1.
Parkinson held off UT Arlington’s offense, striking out eight through four innings, before eventually giving the ball to junior pitcher Jake Francis.
After a pitch with runners on base in the fifth inning, UT Arlington took a 2-1 lead.
Junior pitcher Jeremiah Holder and senior pitcher Graham Moore closed the game pitching for Villanova and didn’t allow any runs.
Ricchey, Lemon, and Quintano all made scoring efforts, but fell short, ending the game, 2-1.
“We’ll have more opportunities,” Coach Mulvey said. “Hit and runs, steals, and sac bunts will all play a large role down the stretch.”
Villanova will now host Lafayette (5-17, 3-6 Patriot League) for the Liberty Bell Classic on Tuesday, March 31. First pitch is set for 3:35 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
