March 8, 2011
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PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - Sophomore starting pitcher Kevin MacLachlan (Matawan, N.J.) tossed five scoreless innings in his first start of the season but a three-run rally with two outs in the top of the eighth inning led to a 3-2 loss for Villanova (4-7) in its home opener against Bucknell (4-7) at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth on Tuesday afternoon. Two runs scored by the Wildcats in the bottom of the second inning looked like they would stand up before the Bison struck the decisive blow with their rally in the eighth inning.
Bucknell had at least one hit in seven different innings but for the most part three Villanova pitchers kept the Bison from doing any serious damage. Bucknell was only 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position, but one of those hits was a two-run, game-tying single by David Duffett that came with the bases loaded in the eighth.
With the bases loaded one batter after the hit by Duffett, a wild pitch by senior closer Mike Francisco (Newtown Square, Pa.) allowed Travis Clark to scamper home from third with the game's go-ahead and eventual winning run. Francisco (0-2, 4.26 ERA) entered the game with a runner at first and one out in the eighth inning and allowed a walk and infield single to load the bases with still just one away. He was on the brink of escaping the inning altogether after striking out leadoff hitter Gerry Runyan for the second out before the Bison finished off their rally.
MacLachlan scattered seven hits - six of them singles - in his five innings of work and walked just one while striking out three. He stayed out of trouble early on with an inning-ending double play in the second inning and some help from his defense in the third inning when Runyan was thrown out at second base on a stolen base attempt with one away.
Freshman Pat Young (The Woodlands, Texas) pitched 2 1/3 innings of relief and struck out four of the 12 batters he faced. He worked around a pair of singles in the sixth inning and two walks in the seventh inning, then struck out pinch hitter Matt Busch leading off the eighth. Mark Figgie followed the strikeout with a single to left-center field and Francisco came on in place of Young, who was charged with one earned run when Figgie scored later in the inning.
In the bottom of the second inning the Wildcats started a two-run rally with a leadoff single by senior second baseman Dain Hall (Barrington, Ill.), who then stole second and moved up to third on a catcher's throwing error. He scored one out later when freshman catcher John Cialone (Houston, Texas) hit a sacrifice fly to account for the first run in the game.
Junior shortstop Marlon Calbi (Montclair, N.J.) then lined a ball into center field and alertly turned his hit into a double by taking second when Bucknell was slow getting the ball back into the infield. His efforts were rewarded when junior first baseman Kevin Wager (Fairfax, Va.) came up next and worked the count full before delivering a run-scoring single to left field.
Hall and Calbi had two hits apiece for Villanova, with Calbi's two doubles being the only extra-base hits for the Wildcats in the game. Wager and sophomore left fielder Steve Schrenk (Brigantine, N.J.) added singles for Villanova, which was out-hit 12-6 in the game.
Bucknell starting pitcher Dylan Seeley allowed four hits and two earned runs in five innings before five relievers combined to allow just two hits over four scoreless innings of relief. Gabe Noyalis (1-0, 0.00 ERA) was on the long end of the decision after a scoreless seventh inning, while Steve Carlin pitched the ninth for his second save.
After playing their first 10 games on the road or at neutral sites, the Wildcats began a stretch today in which the team will play 15 of its next 18 games at home between now and April 3. This weekend the Wildcats are hosting the Villanova Classic and will open tournament play on Friday at 2:15 p.m. against Mount St. Mary's.
NOTES: Bucknell left 13 runners on base in the game while Villanova stranded seven ... Since the facility opened in 2003, the Wildcats had won each of the eight previous home openers they played at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth ... Hall's stolen base was the 45th of his career and moved him into sole possession of sixth place in school history ... Similarly, Francisco took sole possession of seventh place in the Wildcats record book with his 62nd career appearance.
