April 15, 2008

Box Score

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - In the third meeting of the season between the teams, Villanova (16-18) collected five extra-base hits, stole four bases and did not strike out in a 7-5 victory over La Salle (6-28) on Tuesday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.

Senior Dan Terpak (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) hit a go-ahead home run in the bottom of the seventh inning and the Wildcats tacked on two needed insurance runs in the eighth to record their third straight win over the Explorers.

La Salle manufactured a two-out rally in the ninth inning and had the bases loaded with one run already in before junior Josh Eidell (Norristown, Pa.) closed out his fifth save of the season on a fly ball to center field by John Rickards.

Terpak had two hits and drove in three runs and junior Matt McFolling (Chicago, Ill.) went 3-for-3 with two runs scored, two doubles and a run batted in. Junior Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) had two hits, stole two bases and scored two runs to jumpstart the offense in the early innings.

In each of his first two at-bats, Rosati reached base via a hit and came in to score on run-scoring singles by Terpak. He bunted for a one-out hit in the bottom of the first inning and stole second and third before scoring. In the third inning, he led off with a double down the right-field line.

Rickards opened the scoring for the Explorers with a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning for the first hit off of starting pitcher Ryan Wendler (Conshohocken, Pa.). Villanova got the run back in the home half of the fourth when McFolling led off with a double and later scored on a two-out balk.

In the top of the fifth inning, John Malloy singled home a run and wound up at third base when a throw from right field got away from home plate. The ball rolled into the Explorers dugout and allowed a second run to score and tie the game 3-3. Justin Handler followed with a sacrifice fly to give La Salle their only lead of the game at 4-3. Wendler allowed just three hits in five innings and two of the four runs charged to his account were unearned. He walked four and struck out three in his second start of the season.

Senior James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a home run to tie the game and classmate Bill Hoffman (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to earn his third win of the season. Hoffman (3-0, 6.75 ERA) struck out three as the Wildcat bullpen logged four innings without allowing an earned run. Junior Michael Mayer (Midland Park, N.J.) worked around a leadoff double in the eighth inning to get the game to Eidell in the ninth.

Malloy and Handler each had two hits for the Explorers. Shane Frangiosa (0-1, 7.40) took the loss for the Explorers in a three-inning relief outing. He was charged with four hits and three runs (two earned) while issuing two walks. La Salle starting pitcher Christian Schulz allowed eight hits and four earned runs in five innings.

Villanova plays the final game of a 12-game homestand on Wednesday afternoon when it hosts Lafayette at 3:15 p.m.

NOTES: The Wildcats are 8-3 on their season-long homestand so far ... The team is 12-4 in 16 home games this season ... The Leopards have won each of the last two meetings with Villanova ... Each game knocked the Wildcats out of the Liberty Bell Classic, including a second-round loss at Lafayette in 2006 and an 8-3 decision at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth last season ... The last time the Wildcats had no batters strike out in a game was against Temple on May 3, 2006.