Box Score

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. - In a game that had been close from the start, Villanova (3-7) allowed seven runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning and fell to Boston College (5-6) by a 10-2 count at North Charlotte Regional Park on Monday afternoon. In the top half of that same inning, the Wildcats had plated a run to pull to within 3-2 before the Eagles put the game out of reach with their seven-run outburst. Both teams were playing their fourth game in as many days.

Junior left fielder Adam Goss (Bellaire, Texas) and sophomore second baseman Todd Czinege (Overland Park, Kan.) had two hits apiece for Villanova, which scored single runs in the fifth and eighth innings to try and rally from a 3-0 deficit. Senior left-hander Jeff Courter (Maple Glen, Pa.) pitched two scoreless innings out of the bullpen to keep the game close.

Boston College scored once in the bottom of the first inning to take a 1-0 lead and then gradually pushed the lead to three runs with single tallies in the third and fourth innings. Those runs came off of junior starting pitcher Max Beermann (Tampa, Fla.), who stuck out four over 4 2/3 innings while allowing seven hits, two walks and three earned runs.

Junior right fielder Emmanuel Morris (Willowbrook, Ill.) doubled to left field with one out in the top of the fifth and sophomore center fielder Donovan May (Newark, Del.) walked to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 10 straight games. Goss grounded out to move the runners up to second and third and Czinege then beat out a high chopper between short and third for an infield hit and a run batted in.

After the Wildcats went down in order in the top of the sixth and seventh innings, Goss manufactured a run almost single-handedly in the top of the eighth. He lined a single to center field to start the inning, took second on a wild pitch with one out and moved up to third on Beermann's groundout to short. With junior third baseman Kevin Jewitt (West Chester, Pa.) at the plate, Goss alertly raced home on a passed ball that got just a short distance away from the catcher. Jewitt wound up walking on seven pitches and advanced to second on another wild pitch before the Eagles got out of the inning and preserved their lead.

In the bottom of the eighth, Michael Strem got Boston College started with a leadoff double to left but senior reliever Chris Haggarty (Valley Cottage, N.Y.) retired the next two batters and had Strem at third with two away. After an intentional walk to get to the ninth spot in the batting order, Haggarty gave up an RBI single to Johnny Adams which made the score 4-2 and chased Haggarty from the game.

Sophomore reliever John Santoianni (Souderton, Pa.) walked a batter to load the bases after a double steal moved the runners he inherited to second and third. He made a good pitch on a 1-0 count to Blake Butera, but a chopper went through the left side untouched for a two-run single that forced another pitching change. After a walk reloaded the bases, the big hit of the inning was a Chris Shaw grand slam down the right field line.

It was the second home run of the game for the Eagles, who also got a solo home run from Joe Cronin leading off the home half of the third inning. Cronin also had an RBI single in the first inning to open the scoring, while leadoff hitter Jake Palomaki grounded out to score a run in the bottom of the fourth.

Boston College starting pitcher Justin Dunn (2-0, 4.63 ERA) allowed five hits and a run over five innings of work, while walking two and striking out three. John Nicklas entered a 3-1 game in the top of the eighth inning and registered the final four outs to earn the save.

Following a day off on Tuesday, the Wildcats return to action against Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m.