March 18, 2005
Final Stats
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - The Wildcats were 6-for-14 with runners in scoring position and pounded out 12 hits in a 6-3 victory over Fairfield (0-9) on Friday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. Villanova (8-4-1) was playing in its home opener, as well as the first game of this weekend's Villanova Baseball Bash. The win was the third in a row for the Wildcats, who outhit the opposition for the ninth time in 11 games.
The offensive numbers were more than enough to support senior starter Nick Allen (Green Lane, Pa.), who pitched seven strong innings and recorded his third win of the season. Allen (3-0, 0.95 ERA) generated nine outs on the ground and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Allen had two outs and none on in the top of the sixth, but hit the next batter with a pitch to extend the inning. Doug Anderson then dribbled a ball towards shortstop, and beat the throw to first base by the smallest of margins for the Stags' first hit of the game. Fairfield rallied around that hit, as the next three batters all had run-scoring singles.
The Fairfield runs were the first earned runs allowed by Allen all season. He pitched 27 innings without allowing an earned run to start the season, before the Stags plated their three sixth-inning runs. Allen's incredible streak included the first no-hitter by a Villanova pitcher in 43 years, as well as 7.1 innings of stellar work in an 11-1 victory over No. 8 Florida.
Villanova scored two runs in the bottom of the first to quickly open the scoring. After the first two batters of the inning were retired, senior Angelo Petracca (Sanford, Fla.) extended his career-best hitting streak to 11 games with a single to center. He then stole second and went to third when junior Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) reached on an infield hit. On a pickoff attempt during the next at-bat, the Fairfield pitcher threw the ball into right-center field, allowing Petracca to score and Hunt to wind up at second. Freshman right fielder James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) followed with an RBI single for a 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats added another run in the second inning, and scored what would prove to be the decisive run in the fourth inning, when junior outfielder Darren Griffith (Edison, N.J.) singled with two out to drive home Andy Wendle (New London, Pa.). The Wildcats had two triples that led to two runs in the fifth. Hunt smacked his second triple of the season with one out, and scored on a single by senior outfielder Alan Day (Lake Ridge, Va.). Day stole second, and scored the Wildcats' final run when Griffith tripled to the same spot in right that Hunt hit his ball.
Allen, who no-hit Norfolk State in a 2-0 victory on March 5, appeared to be flirting with history again before being derailed by the Fairfield rally. Prior to allowing his first hit, Allen had recorded 17 outs, including 10 that came on the ground and four more that came on strikeouts. He has allowed just 17 hits in 28.1 innings on the season, and the opposition is batting .168 against him.
Fairfield loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth inning, but redshirt freshman Frank Jankowski (Berwick, Pa.) came in to slam the door. Jankowski recorded a fly out to shallow left, a pop-up to short and a called third strike to strand the three runners he inherited. In the ninth, senior closer Mike Grodecki (Northbrook, Ill.) worked around a hit and an error to pick up his third save of the season, and his second in the last three days.
Elsewhere on the first day of action in the Villanova Baseball Bash, St. Joseph's defeated Albany 4-2 and Temple fell to Savannah State 12-9. On Saturday, the Wildcats will face Savannah State at Noon. The game is scheduled to be a single, nine-inning game. However, with rain and snow forecasted putting Sunday's schedule in jeopardy, Villanova will decide on Saturday morning whether to play a doubleheader against Savannah State, to ensure that it is able to play three games in the tournament. A decision on Saturday's schedule will be made by 9 a.m. Saturday, and an announcement of any schedule changes will be made via the Wildcat Sports Hotline at 888-400-NOVA.
