April 9, 2008

Box Score

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - The school's career hits record fell and Villanova (15-15) got back to .500 for the first time this season as it won its seventh straight game with a 11-2 win over Lehigh (14-20) on Wednesday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. Senior Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) lined his 243rd career hit through the left side in the bottom of the fourth inning to break the previous school record held by Matt Longo (1998-01).

Shunk drove in a run with his record-setting hit, driving in junior Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) from second base. After scoring four unearned runs in the first two innings with the aid of four errors by the Mountain Hawks, the Wildcats poured it on in the middle innings with two runs in the fourth and four more in the bottom of the fifth.

Junior Joe Cotter (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) hit a solo home run in the fourth inning ahead of Shunk's big hit and senior James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) led off the fifth inning with a solo shot of his own. Junior Wesley Borden (State College, Pa.) doubled home a run and Rosati and Shunk each delivered run-scoring singles in the fifth inning.

On the mound, senior Bill Hoffman (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) earned his second win of the season with five strong innings pitched. He scattered four hits and struck out five while allowing two runs, only one of which was earned. Senior Ryan Wendler (Conshohocken, Pa.) pitched two scoreless innings of relief, allowing just a hit and striking out three. Freshman Mike Francisco (Newtown Square, Pa.) and sophomore A.J. Anido (Devon, Pa.) closed out the game with one scoreless inning each.

Rosati finished the day with three hits, three runs scored and two runs batted in and Villanova totaled 11 hits for the afternoon. Freshman Dain Hall (Barrington, Ill.) had two hits, a run scored and an RBI and senior Ryan Arcadia (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) was 1-for-4 and scored three runs.

Joe Ercolano reached on an error to start the game for Lehigh and scored on Logan Marshall's single with two out in the first to give the Mountain Hawks an early lead. Lehigh, however, misplayed two balls in both the first and second innings to allow the Wildcats to take the lead. Hall had a run-scoring single in the bottom of the first inning and a second run scored on an error during the play, while a ball hit by Shunk in the bottom of the second was misplayed for an error that scored two runs.

Mike Lebo (0-1) started and took the loss for the Mountain Hawks, allowing just two earned runs among the six overall charged to his account. He went 3 2/3 innings, allowed four hits, walked four and struck out one.

The seven-game winning streak matches the longest for Villanova since a seven-game stretch from February 27 - March 7, 2004. The Wildcats continue their season-long 12-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series against Notre Dame. The games will be played on Friday at 3:15 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday at 12:15 p.m.