April 29, 2007

Box Score

CINCINNATI, Ohio - A wild top of the first inning proved to be an early turning point in the game and a triple with the bases loaded - a specialty of late - by sophomore Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) was the big blow in a five-run opening frame as Villanova (22-19, 7-11 Big East) took a three-game series with Cincinnati (23-20, 8-9 Big East) by winning the rubber game 7-2 on Sunday afternoon at Marge Schott Stadium.

The first three Wildcat hitters of the game were hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out but a strike out and line drive had the Bearcats on the verge of escaping the jam. However, senior Jim Gillin (Broomall, Pa.) walked to force in the first run and Rosati followed by smacking a triple to right field that quickly broke the game open. Junior Gus Guida (Martinsville, N.J.) followed with a single to make the score 5-0 and Villanova never looked back along the way to putting itself in terrific position in the conference standings with three regular season weekends remaining.

The early offense was more than enough support for junior Bill Hoffman (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.), who pitched a complete game gem for his fourth win of the season. Hoffman (4-4, 5.13 ERA) pitched his first career complete game and allowed nine hits and just two earned runs while issuing two walks and striking out seven. He limited Cincinnati to single runs in the third and seventh innings, never letting the Bearcats back into the game after the Wildcats made a strong statement at the outset.

Junior Dan Terpak (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) had a run-scoring single in the second inning that extended the lead to 6-0 and junior Ryan Arcadia (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) singled in the fifth inning to drive in the final Villanova run.

The Wildcats had eight hits on the afternoon and received that production from seven different players. Guida was the lone player for Villanova to have a multi-hit game, while Rosati's triple was his first of the season. Sophomore Matt McFolling (Chicago, Ill.), who sealed Saturday's win with a diving catch in left-center field, got the start in left today and scored twice in the game.

Villanova was all over Cincinnati starter John Baird from the first pitch, never letting him recover from the three hit batters. Baird lasted 4 2/3 innings and allowed six hits and seven earned runs while walking four batters and striking out two. On the flip side, the top three hitters in the Bearcats lineup combined to go 6-for-11 and Adam Yeager drove in both Cincinnati runs, but Hoffman was in total control and limited the rest of the lineup to a mere 3-for-22 performance at the plate. The Bearcats were 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base.

Coupled with other scores from today's game, the Wildcats moved into eighth place in the conference standings, currently half a game better than West Virginia. Villanova and the Mountaineers will play a key three-game series next weekend at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. The teams play a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a single game on Sunday.

Next up for the Wildcats, however, is a Tuesday evening tilt against in-state rival Penn State. Villanova has defeated the Nittany Lions in each of the past four seasons and will be playing for the first time at the team's new state-of-the-art stadium.