Wildcats Lose Series Finale to Texas 9-2

Hunt has double, home run for Villanova

Jeremy Hunt had a double and solo home run in Sunday's loss to Texas.

Feb. 26, 2006

AUSTIN, Texas - Senior first baseman Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) doubled, hit a home run and scored both Wildcat runs, but Villanova (2-4) was defeated by Texas (9-6) 9-2 on Sunday afternoon at Disck-Falk Field. The Longhorns swept the three-game weekend series.

Trailing 2-0, Villanova got on the board in the second inning when Hunt doubled down the left field line with one out. He advanced to third on a groundout by sophomore Gus Guida (Martinsville, N.J.) and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

The Longhorns threatened in both the second and third innings, but came up empty each time. Texas stranded seven runners in the first three innings, and in his next at-bat, Hunt homered over the fence in left field to tie the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth.

The tie didn't last long, however, as the Longhorns scored five times in the bottom half of the inning to break open a 7-2 lead. Nick Peoples reached on an error to start the inning, and after successive bunt singles, Carson Kainer cleared the bases with a double into the left field corner. Kyle Russell and Preston Pehrson added run-scoring singles in the inning.

Aside from the two hits by Hunt, Villanova was otherwise held in check by Texas starter Randy Boone and four relievers. Two walks issued by Longhorn pitching and a ninth inning defensive error accounted for the only runners for the Wildcats after Hunt's homerun. Boone struck out five and walked none in five innings of work to record his first victory of the season.

Junior Nate Hall (Longmont, Colo.) took the loss for Villanova, allowing five runs (three earned) in two innings of work. Starting pitcher Jordan Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), working on a pitch count, allowed two earned runs in the first inning and was followed by five relievers the rest of the way.

Russell finished the day 3-for-3, while he and Kainer each drove in four runs. Jordan Danks scored three times for the defending national champions, who outscored the Wildcats 21-3 along the way to sweeping the series.

Villanova returns to action on Friday with a 1 p.m. contest against Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne. The game will be played in Bradenton, Florida and is the first of five contests the Wildcats will play during their Spring Break trip to the Sunshine State.

NOTES: The start of the game was moved up 10 minutes to accommodate Villanova's travel home following the game ... Redshirt freshman pitcher Ryan Shockley (Bear, Del.) made his collegiate debut in the bottom of the second inning ... He entered the game with the bases loaded and two outs and retired cleanup hitter Carson Kainer on a fly ball to end the inning with no runs across for Texas ... The Longhorns stranded seven runners through the first three innings of the game ... Hunt's double in the second inning snapped an 0-for-15 slump, which began after an RBI double in his first at-bat of the season ... All three of his hits this season have gone for extra bases.

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