May 13, 2006

Box Score

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - On Saturday afternoon at Jim Patterson Stadium, Villanova (26-23, 8-14 Big East) fell behind early and lost by a 9-5 score to Louisville (23-28, 13-10) in the second game of a three-game series. The Cardinals have won each of the first two games of the weekend.

Although the steady rain that persisted through Friday's game was not present in today's game, the gusty winds remained, blowing out to right field between 15 and 20 miles per hour for much of the game. Louisville took advantage of the conditions, hitting two home runs off Wildcat starter Kevin Mulvey (Parlin, N.J.) in the first three innings. Logan Johnson connected for a two-run shot in a five-run second inning and Isaiah Howes had a solo home run in the third inning.

Mulvey (3-7, 3.66 ERA) was tagged for nine hits and seven runs in seven innings of work. He walked three and struck out seven while allowing just five batters to reach base after the second inning. Derrick Alfonso grounded out to drive home Louisville's final run off Mulvey in the seventh inning.

Cardinal starting pitcher B.J. Rosenberg allowed four hits and one earned run in 2.2 innings before apparently leaving with an injury. Mike Lynn (1-2, 7.94) replaced him after a run-scoring double by sophomore Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) that got the Wildcats on the board in the top of the third inning. Senior Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) drilled a triple off the wall in right field to score Shunk and get Villanova to within 5-2, but Lynn then induced a groundball to end the inning.

The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the sixth inning, but could do no more than score one run on a sacrifice fly by senior Darren Griffith (Edison, N.J.). In the ninth inning, senior Kris Molloy (Hillsborough, N.J.) singled after a one-out double by redshirt junior Jim Gillin (Broomall, Pa.), and sophomore Ryan Arcadia (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) plated two runs with a double and Villanova got the potential tying run to the on-deck circle, but could not complete the late rally.

Four different players had two hits apiece for the Wildcats, including Arcadia leading the way with two runs batted in. Hunt and Shunk each had one run scored and one run driven in for Villanova.

Freshman Josh Eidell (Norristown, Pa.) will get the start for the Wildcats in Sunday's series finale, with first pitch slated for Noon. Villanova will oppose Louisville's Trystan Magnuson.

NOTES: Mulvey had allowed just one home run in 76.2 innings pitched on the season before this start ... Coming into the game, he had surrendered a total of just five home runs in 228.1 innings ... Hunt's triple in the third inning was the team's 20th of the season, breaking the previous record of 19 that was set in the 1995 season ... The Wildcats had been sitting on 19 triples for five games since senior Craig Mirsky (Holland, Pa.) had a three-base hit against Temple on May 3 ... Shunk had been in a 2-for-20 slump before his double in the third inning ... He also singled in his next at-bat and drove a line drive into right-center field in the eighth inning that was caught for an out ... Hunt extended his hitting streak to 14 games and his on-base streak to 28 games ... Freshman Matt McFolling (Chicago, Ill.) singled to extend his own hit streak to nine games.