KISSIMMEE, Fla.—A solid offensive performance for the second straight day and a late comeback bid were positive signs for Villanova (0-2) in a 7-4 loss to Milwaukee (2-0) at Osceola Heritage Park on Saturday afternoon.  Sophomore second baseman Pat O'Neill (Eagleville, Pa.) was on base four times and the Wildcats tallied nine hits to go along with four walks and a hit batter.  Villanova has totaled 28 base runners in the first two games it has played at the Sunshine State Classic. 
 
O'Neill went 3-for-3 with two doubles, a walk and a run scored in Saturday's game.  Six other batters also had hits, including a run-scoring double by junior first baseman Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, N.J.) and an RBI single by senior pinch hitter JP Radvany (Lawrenceville, N.J.) which were part of a three-run surge in the bottom of the seventh inning.  Junior right fielder Tyler Bruno (Breinigsville, Pa.) also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning. 
 
A fast start by the Panthers created a 5-0 deficit for the Wildcats after the first two innings.  Sophomore starting pitcher Jimmy Kingsbury (Phoenixville, Pa.) nearly worked around trouble in the top of the first before surrendering a three-run double with two outs and the bases loaded.  He also gave up a solo home run leading off the third and a sacrifice fly later in the inning before bouncing back and pitching effectively into the fifth inning. 
 
Kingsbury (0-1) had a runner at third with nobody out in the top of the third inning, as well as runners at the corners with one away in that frame.  He got a strikeout for the first out, and two batters later induced a 5-4-3 double play to emerge from the inning unscathed.  Kingsbury wound up allowing nine hits and issuing four walks while striking out three in his 4 2/3 innings of work. 
 
The score was still 5-0 with two out and two on in the top of the fifth inning when senior right-hander Jason Applegate (Columbus, N.J.) entered for Kingsbury and did what he does best.  Kingsbury needed only one pitch to induce a groundball for an inning-ending fielder's choice.  The most experienced reliever in the Villanova bullpen has now stranded 59-of-73 career inherited runners (81%).  He stayed in to toss scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, allowing one hit while walking two and striking out two. 
 
Sophomore center fielder Sam Margulis (Pennington, N.J.) reached on an error leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, and the Wildcats wound up scoring three unearned runs off Milwaukee reliever Matt Vanek (1-0) to pull to within 5-3.  Bruno singled to right to put runners at first and second, and sophomore left fielder Chris Rotondo (Redding, Conn.) lined out to third for the inning's first out.  A throwing error on an attempt to double Bruno off of first instead allowed him to advance to second base, while Margulis scored from second for the Wildcats first run of the day.  Toohers followed by jumping on a 1-0 pitch for an RBI double to center.  With two outs in the inning, Radvany pinch hit and singled up the middle to plate Toohers with the third run of the inning. 
 
Two more runs by the Panthers in the top of the eighth stretched the margin back to four runs at 7-3, and Villanova could get just one run closer in the bottom of the inning.  O'Neill doubled to the gap in left-center field leading off the home half of the eighth, took third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on Bruno's sacrifice fly to center. 
 
An early matinee awaits the Wildcats on Sunday morning, as they take on George Mason starting at 11 a.m. in their final game of the weekend.  Freshman righty Gordon Graceffo (Cranford, N.J.) makes his Villanova debut on the mound.