May 20, 2008

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. - A long solo home run to right-center field by senior Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) in the top of the first inning proved to be a harbinger of things to come and No. 8 seed Villanova (29-26) cruised to a lopsided 12-0 win over No. 1 seed St. John's (41-13) in its opening game at the BIG EAST Championship on Tuesday afternoon at Bright House Field. The Wildcats scored in every inning of the game, which was stopped after seven innings due to the tournament's 10-run rule. Villanova will now play No. 4 seed Louisville on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in its next game.

Villanova had 14 hits in the game - five for extra bases - and more than supported the dominant pitching of sophomore Brian Streilein (Staten Island, N.Y.), who hurled a seven-hit complete game shutout. Streilein (6-4, 5.26 ERA) struck out two and walked two in pitching the first shutout of the season by a Wildcat pitcher.

"In my seven years as a head coach I think that may have been the best game we have ever played," Villanova head coach Joe Godri said. "We talk a lot about needing to play an `A' game against conference opponents. That was our A+ game. St. John's is an outstanding team and we happened to catch them on a day where they weren't at their best."

Shunk hit his second home run of the game in the top of the third inning - a shot to left-center that was just as long as his blast to the right-center field gap in the first - and senior James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) hit a grand slam in the fifth inning that stretched the lead to 9-0.

When Villanova wasn't exploding for extra-base hits, it was running its base-to-base offense to perfection. The Wildcats laid down three sacrifice bunts in the game, two of which were misplayed for errors with no outs recorded. Sophomore Justin Bencsko (Pompton Plains, N.J.) also bunted for a single that scored junior Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) in the fourth inning. Rosati singled up the middle with two outs and nobody on, stole second, took third on a throwing error and then scored on Bencsko's bunt single.

On the other end, Streilein retired the leadoff man in five of seven innings and did not allow the Red Storm a hit with runners in scoring position (0-for-8). He generated 11 outs in the air and eight on the ground in his second straight complete game.

Shunk finished 4-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBI. He is the 14th player in tournament history to have a multi-homer game and his 10 total bases in today's game tied a tournament record. Shunk also extended his hitting streak to 12 games, which is the longest by a Wildcat hitter this season and ties his career best. He has hit safely in 33 of his last 35 games and is batting .450 (59-131) in that span.

Dolbier went 3-for-4 with two runs and five RBI to tie the tournament's individual record for runs batted in during a single game. He singled home a run in the sixth inning that made the score 10-0 and made the mercy rule a possibility. Dolbier also singled and scored on a heads-up baserunning play in the second inning. He was at second base with one out and crossed to third on an infield hit by freshman Dain Hall (Barrington, Ill.). The throw to first base on Hall's hit was just up the line enough for first baseman Gil Zayas to need to retrieve it, and Dolbier alertly raced home to score the second run of the game.

Villanova dealt a loss to St. John's starter Matt Tosoni (6-1, 1.72 ERA), who allowed three hits and two runs (one earned) before leaving after the second inning. The Wildcats then battered reliever Ryan Cole for five hits and seven runs in two innings.

"After the way we came back against St. John's in our series against them last weekend, we felt very confident offensively once we got into the bullpen," Godri said. "St. John's is a good offensive team but their game plan is pitching and once there were some runs on the board Brian Streilein became extremely tough to handle. He has won some very big games for us this season, including against Louisville and Rutgers during the regular season."

The offensive outburst by Villanova forced the mercy rule to be put into effect for only the second time in tournament play. It was the first time the top seed in the tournament had the mercy rule enforced against it.

The Wildcats now have senior Jordan Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) in line to pitch on Wednesday against the Cardinals. Louisville defeated Seton Hall 12-3 in the opening game of the day on Tuesday. The Pirates will play St. John's in an elimination game at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.

NOTES: Shunk is the second Villanova player among the 14 who have hit two home runs in a tournament game ... The other was Mike Wismer, who did so 20 years ago to the day in an 8-2 win over Seton Hall on May 20, 1988 ... The Wildcats are now 17-17 all-time in tournament play ... Villanova clinched its second straight postseason bid on Saturday when it rallied from a 7-0 deficit against St. John's in the final scheduled inning of the game to tie the score and eventually win 8-7 in 11 innings ... The Wildcats have hit two grand slams this season, both by Dolbier ... His other one came at La Salle on March 12 ... Shunk joins Dolbier, Hall and junior Matt McFolling (Chicago, Ill.) as the only Villanova hitters with four hits in a game this season.