March 17, 2012
Box Score
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - Despite amassing 18 hits and bringing the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning Villanova (12-7) never recovered from giving up six runs in the top of the first inning and suffered a 13-10 loss to Binghamton (2-6) in the Big Five Baseball Bash at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth on Saturday afternoon. After falling behind 6-0 before batting for the first time the Wildcats were never closer than the final score.
Senior third baseman Kevin Wager (Holden, Mo.) had four hits and drove in two runs while junior second baseman Tyler Sciacca (Staten Island, N.Y.) finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in. Wager singled with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to plate the game's final run and bring the tying run to the plate with two men on base. Bearcats reliever Lee Sosa registered a strikeout to finish the game however, and Villanova lost for only the fourth time in its last 16 outings.
The game featured a combined 23 runs on 34 hits and six different Wildcats had multi-hit games. Senior designated hitter Matt Fleishman (East Northport, N.Y.) extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a pair of hits and the trio of senior shortstop Marlon Calbi (Montclair, N.J.), sophomore right fielder Connor Jones (Chandler, Ariz.) and sophomore catcher John Cialone (Houston, Texas) all had two hits as well.
Binghamton sent 11 men to the plate in the top of the first inning but needed only four hits to build a commanding six-run lead. Dave Ciocchi singled home the first run and the Bearcats added runs on a walk with the bases loaded followed by a sacrifice fly. Those plays made the score 3-0 but Binghamton was only halfway done and added to its lead with a two-run single by Joel Stubbs and an RBI single off the bat of leadoff man Bill Bereszniewicz.
In the bottom of the first inning Jones and Sciacca hit consecutive RBI singles to narrow the deficit to 6-2 but the Bearcats got both runs back in the top of the second inning to push the margin to 8-2. As the game went on Binghamton was able to extend the lead each time Villanova got within striking distance.
Sciacca doubled with one out in the bottom of the fifth inning and eventually scored on a wild pitch which made the score 9-4. Freshman reliever Josh Harris (Streamwood, Ill.) set the Bearcats down in order in the top of the sixth inning but the Wildcats likewise went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, the only time all day the team was retired in order.
Binghamton then scored four runs in the top of the seventh to forge a 13-4 advantage, its largest lead of the day. A two-run double by Sciacca, a sacrifice fly by junior left fielder Steve Schrenk (Brigantine, N.J.) and a run-scoring triple by senior first baseman Adam Nelson (St. Joseph, Mo.) helped Villanova get all four runs back in the bottom of the seventh.
John Howell had a game-high four hits to lead the Bearcats offensively and Jake Thomas was 1-for-4 with two walks and three runs scored. The 2-3-4 hitters in the Binghamton lineup combined for eight hits and seven runs scored and towards the bottom of the order Jordon Smucker drove in four runs from the seventh spot in the lineup.
Bearcats starting pitcher Jay Lynch (1-2, 6.28 ERA) withstood the slugfest to earn his first win of the year with six strong innings. He scattered nine hits and was charged with four runs, but only three of those were earned and he walked just one while striking out seven.
Sophomore right-hander Pat Young (The Woodlands, Texas) was charged with eight runs allowed in the first two innings for the Wildcats, although only three of the runs on his account were earned. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Young, who had been 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in his previous three starts.
Villanova plays its final game of the Big Five Baseball Bash on Sunday afternoon against Buffalo, with first pitch slated for 12:15 p.m.
