Box Score

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - An unearned run in the top of the 11th inning was the slim difference in a game where the teams battled the elements as much as each other. Villanova (2-6) tied the game in the bottom of the 10th inning as black storm clouds moved in but eventually lost by a 3-2 score an inning later at North Charlotte Regional Park on Saturday afternoon. Rain delays in the top of the fifth inning and the bottom of the 10th totaled 77 minutes and light rain persisted as the marathon game finally ended.

A game-tying run by the Cougars in the top of the seventh eventually forced extra innings, but the dramatic rally by the Wildcats with their backs to the wall in the home half of the 10th extended the game once again. Chicago State pushed home the eventual winning run with two outs in the 11th inning when Chase Matheson stole third and was able to score when a throwing error was committed on the play. Villanova went down in order in the bottom half of the inning.

Long before the late momentum swings, sophomore starting pitcher Hunter Schryver (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) looked strong tossing four scoreless innings in his second start of the season. He scattered three hits and walked three to protect a 1-0 lead that he had in hand from the first inning on. Schryver has pitched a combined six scoreless innings with just four hits allowed through his first two starts while working on a limited pitch count this early in the season.

Sophomore second baseman Todd Czinege (Overland Park, Kan.) went 3-for-4 and the Wildcats had a season-high 12 hits in the game. Junior first baseman Max Beermann (Tampa, Fla.) extended his hitting streak to eight games - every game this season - with a pair of doubles, including the game-tying hit on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the 10th inning. Sophomore center fielder Donovan May (Newark, Del.), junior left fielder Adam Goss (Bellaire, Texas) and junior shortstop Eric Lowe (Arlington Heights, Ill.) all had two hits as well.

May singled to open the bottom of the first inning and moved to second on sophomore right fielder Emmanuel Morris' (Willowbrook, Ill.) sacrifice bunt. Czinege beat out an infield hit which moved May to third and Beermann lined a 3-2 pitch down the right field line to bring in the game's first run.

The score was still 1-0 after four innings and rain began to fall as freshman reliever Mike Sgaramella (Florham Park, N.J.) warmed up to relieve Schryver at the start of the inning. It seemed like the type of daily brief shower that is so common in Florida, but Sgaramella threw just two pitches to leadoff batter Sanford Hunt before umpires halted play with heavy rain pouring down. Nearly an hour later, Sgaramella needed just two minutes and six more pitches to set the side down in order. He wound up allowing two hits and a run over 2 1/3 innings of work, with the one run on his account scoring after he left the game.

Chris Hipchen doubled with one out in the top of the seventh inning, then held at second on Robert Swenson's slow single through the left side. Senior reliever Kagan Richardson (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) came in for Sgaramella with runners at first and second with one out. He induced the groundball that was needed in that situation, with a 4-6 force out at second base accounting for the second out of the inning. Lowe's relay throw to first to try and complete the double play only narrowly missed beating the runner, and the play was upheld after the umpires huddled to determine whether the lead runner at second base had interfered with Lowe's throw.

Jared Patterson followed with a seeing-eye single up the middle to drive in Hipchen and tie the score at 1-1, but Richardson recovered and retired the next eight batters he faced until Patterson came up again with one out and nobody on in the top of the 10th inning.

The last of Patterson's three hits on the day was a triple that reached the wall in the right-center field gap. Senior right-hander Chris Haggarty (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) replaced Richardson and retired Julian Russell on a fly ball to center field. Freshman center fielder David Gulati (Collegeville, Pa.) made a strong and accurate throw to the plate but Patterson was able to slide in under the tag and score the go-ahead run.

As the bottom of the 10th started, the sky beyond the right field fence had turned pitch black as an angry-looking storm rolled in. Rain had already started when Czinege led off and was hit by a 3-0 pitch to put the tying run on base. Beermann came up next and hit the first pitch he saw down the left field line. It was officially an RBI double for Beermann as Czinege raced home to make the score 2-2, while Beermann was thrown out at third trying to extend his hit to a triple with the hope of drawing a relay throw away from the plate.

Junior third baseman Kevin Jewitt (West Chester, Pa.) then batted with the bases empty and drilled a single to right-center field. At that point, the Cougars brought in left-handed reliever Zach Thomas and Villanova countered with senior pinch hitter B.J. Bochicchio (Moosic, Pa.). Bochicchio took ball one to start the plate appearance and play was halted for a second game in the midst of a torrential downpour.

The storm quickly clipped the area and passed through quickly, with play resuming 21 minutes later. Bochicchio sacrificed Jewitt into scoring position and Goss lined a single to center field, but Jewitt was thrown out at the plate trying to score a walk-off run. He deftly jumped over the glove of Swenson as the throw from center field arrived, but Swenson reached out and just managed to tag Jewitt before he touched the plate.

Matheson reached on a fielder's choice in the 11th inning after a leadoff single by Andy Gertonson. Matt Pinch hitter Evan Davis struck out for the second out of the inning, but Matheson was running on a full count and was safe at second. After an intentional walk, Matheson was in motion while Swenson was batting and stole third on the front half of what became the eventual game-winning play. Morris' throw to third was high and allowed Matheson to score.

Villanova returns to action on Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. to face North Dakota State. The game will be played at South County Regional Park in Punta Gorda.