April 23, 2006

Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - After more than a day of rain, the skies finally cleared on Sunday afternoon as Villanova (20-17, 5-8 Big East) defeated Seton Hall (12-25, 4-13) 11-6 in the completion of a game that was halted Saturday when the rain started. The teams began play under threatening weather at 1:25 Sunday afternoon with an uncertainty as to how long conditions would remain playable. With a light drizzle falling, the Wildcats scored eight times in the top of the seventh inning to erase a one-run deficit and go on to their sixth straight victory.

The game was stopped on Saturday afternoon with the score tied 3-3 and the Pirates batting with a runner on third and one out. Junior Nate Hall (Longmont, Colo.) began the restarted game with a strikeout of Greg Miller, but then walked Matt Skopak ahead of a run-scoring single by Matt Smedberg that gave the Pirates their first lead of the weekend at 4-3.

Villanova went down in order in the top of the sixth as rain continued to fall, but Hall worked out of a jam in the bottom half of the inning to keep the score at 4-3. With runners at first and second and one out, Hall struck out Brandon Cohen and Casey Hines in succession to get out of the inning.

All of the game's momentum then went the way of the Wildcats in the seventh inning. Senior Kris Molloy (Hillsborough, N.J.) was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, and sophomore Ryan Arcadia (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) beat out a sacrifice bunt attempt for a single. Senior Craig Mirsky (Holland, Pa.) sacrificed both runners into scoring position and sophomore Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) doubled to give Villanova the lead for good at 5-4.

The Wildcats were far from done, however, and took the opportunity to put the game out of reach. After senior Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) was intentionally walked, freshman Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) plated two runs with a single and junior Andy Wendle (New London, Pa.) scored Rosati with a sacrifice fly. Two more runs scored on a double by Molloy and Arcadia capped the inning with an RBI single. A total of 12 batters came to the plate in the inning as Villanova needed just six hits to score eight runs.

It was not long after the outburst of runs by the Wildcats that the sun came out. Seton Hall managed two more runs in the bottom of the eighth, but Hall retired the final five batters in succession to pick up his third win of the season.

Arcadia, Shunk and Dolbier all had two hits in the game as Villanova scored more than 10 runs in consecutive conference games for only the second time in the five-year tenure of head coach Joe Godri. Dolbier drove in three runs, while Shunk and Rosati had two RBI apiece.

Hall's final line was two runs on five hits over 4.2 innings. He walked four but also struck out six to hold off the Pirates. Smedberg and Dan Lopez each had two hits in the game, while Hine and Brandon Cohen each drove in two runs for Seton Hall.

The teams continued play on Sunday with the day's regularly scheduled nine-inning game. The Pirates defeated Villanova 5-4 in that game.