April 21, 2006

Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - A recently strong offensive attack continued in full force on Friday afternoon, as Villanova (19-17, 4-8 Big East) held off Seton Hall (12-24, 4-12) 13-9 at Owen T. Carroll Field. The win extended the Wildcats winning streak to five games, and Villanova is batting .363 with an average of 10 runs per game during the streak.

Against one of the typically stingy pitching staffs in the Big East, the Wildcats jumped on Pirate starter Dan Merklinger in the top of the first inning, forcing him to throw more than 40 pitches in a 23-minute inning that featured four runs for Villanova. Sophomore Ryan Arcadia (Upper Saddle River, N.J.) led off the game with a triple and eventually scored on a passed ball, and two runs scored on a single by junior Frank Cirone (Arlington Heights, Ill.). With two outs, freshman Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) singled home the fourth run as the Wildcats again built an early lead with a big first inning.

The game quickly turned in to a close, tense affair, however, and remained that way until the final pitch. Seton Hall scored three times in the third inning to close to within 5-4, but Villanova scored single runs in the fourth and sixth innings before a four-run outburst in the seventh that made the score 11-4. The Pirates wasted no time mounting their next rally, though, getting all four runs back in the bottom of the seventh inning and adding another in the eighth to make the score 11-9. The Wildcats never did let their lead get away, and a two-run homerun in the ninth by senior Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) capped the win.

Hunt had three hits and drove in four runs on the afternoon, while Arcadia was 3-for-4 and scored a career-high five runs. Senior Craig Mirsky (Holland, Pa.) had two hits, three runs scored, two RBI and two sacrifice bunts. The top four hitters in the Villanova lineup combined to reach base 14 times (nine hits, four walks, one hit batsman) and score 12 runs while driving in seven. The win was also the third straight in conference play for the Wildcats.

Seton Hall got the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth inning, but sophomore reliever Gus Guida (Martinsville, N.J.) induced a double play to end the inning. He recorded the final seven outs and earned his second save of the season, protecting the lead for junior Mike Loree (Gillette, N.J.). Loree (3-4, 5.16 ERA) struck out five and walked two in six-plus innings of work.

A two-run home run by John Walsh in the bottom of the third inning closed the Villanova lead to 5-4, but Loree retired nine of the next 10 batters he faced in the middle innings to get the game into the seventh. Mirsky had a two-run single in the top of the seventh, sophomore Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) delivered a double to right field and Hunt singled home the fourth run to stretch the margin to 11-4.

Walsh finished with four hits and four RBI for the Pirates, while Robbie Hine had three hits and two runs scored. Merklinger allowed five hits and six runs in 4.2 innings, striking out nine and walking six in his outing. The Pirates had allowed just 23 runs in their last seven conference games.

The scheduled second game of the series is on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Taking the hill for the Wildcats will be junior Kevin Mulvey (3-5, 3.36 ERA), while sophomore Dan McDonald (1-7, 3.07 ERA) will get the start for the Pirates. In the event that inclement weather affects the game schedule on Saturday and/or Sunday, updates on the status of the games can be heard on the Wildcat scoring hotline. To access any schedule changes, dial 888-400-NOVA and choose option 3 for baseball updates.

NOTES: Villanova has scored 18 runs in the first inning over its last six games ... The Wildcats had scored just 17 first-inning runs in their first 30 games ... Hunt took over sole possession of the Big East lead with his 11th home run of the season in the ninth inning ... He began the day tied with Frank Meade of Rutgers ... Earlier in the day, Villanova learned that former pitching standout Brian Slocum had been recalled to the major league club by the Cleveland Indians.