April 19, 2008

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Senior shortstop Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) hit his second home run of the season but the offense was otherwise held in check as Villanova (17-20, 4-10 Big East) was defeated 12-1 by Louisville (23-14, 8-6 Big East) on Saturday afternoon in the second game of a three-game series at Jim Patterson Stadium.

The Cardinals rode the pitching of sophomore southpaw Justin Marks, who tossed four-hit baseball over eight innings. The best chance for the Wildcats to do real damage against him came in the first inning. Marks (4-1, 2.15 ERA) walked junior Joe Cotter (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) on four pitches to start the game. After a called third strike on an attempted sacrifice bunt, Shunk blooped a single to center field to give Villanova two runners on with just one out. However, Marks struck out the next two batters to retire the side.

Aside from the two hits by Shunk, the Wildcats managed just three other base hits off the bats of seniors Dan Terpak (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.), Gus Guida (Martinsville, N.J.) and Tim Poydenis (Vero Beach, Fla.). Poydenis singled in the ninth as a pinch hitter against Louisville reliever Matt Lea.

It took well-executed small ball for the Cardinals to break the game open with five runs in the bottom of the second inning. After loading the bases with nobody out, Louisville got run-scoring singles from Drew Haynes and John Dao to plate two runs with the bags still full. A sacrifice fly and a groundout brought home two more runs before Chris Dominguez singled home the fifth tally.

Senior Bill Hoffman (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) took the loss in his first conference start of the season. Hoffman (3-1, 8.28 ERA) was charged with eight runs on 11 hits in four innings of work, as the Cardinals added a lone run in the third inning and two more in the fourth. He walked one and struck out two.

Every starter for Louisville had at least one hit in the contest against Hoffman and four Villanova relievers. Dominguez had three hits and drove in two runs for the Cardinals, who also received two RBI from Phil Wunderlich and Drew Haynes.

The Wildcats received a scoreless inning of relief from senior Ryan Shockley (Seaford, Del.), who retired the side in order in the bottom of the fifth inning, including a strikeout of Stewart Ijames, who had homered in his previous at-bat in the game.

Villanova and Louisville meet on Sunday at 1 p.m. in the final game of this weekend's series.