PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.—For the first time in its long history, the Villanova baseball team has defeated an opponent 100 times.  Senior designated hitter JP Radvany (Lawrenceville, N.J.) drove in four runs, including a go-ahead two-run single in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Villanova (4-13) rallied for an 8-6 victory over La Salle (9-7) at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth on Friday afternoon.  Radvany also homered in the sixth inning to help the Wildcats overcome a 5-1 deficit and avoid its first home loss to the Explorers in more than 30 years. 
 
Radvany tied a career high with his four runs batted in, junior left fielder Timothy Lilly (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) went 3-for-4 with a run scored and junior first baseman Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, N.J.) doubled and tripled in the team's first home win of the season.  Villanova continued to roll at the plate, recording 12 hits on the day and having nine different batters reach base safely.  Two runs in the sixth inning and five in the bottom of the seventh helped the Wildcats flip a 5-1 deficit into an 8-5 lead. 
 
La Salle scored five of its six runs in the top of the fourth inning – all with two outs – to spoil what had begun as a sharp outing for senior starting pitcher Zach Lutner (Sicklerville, N.J.), who struck out four over 3 2/3 innings of work and left with Villanova down by just one run.  The bullpen came up big when it needed to.  Sophomore lefty Mike Schwartz (Merrick, N.Y.) struck out five over two hitless innings, senior Jason Applegate (Columbus, N.J.) got four outs for the win and senior Jonathan Rosero (Middle Village, N.Y.) went 1 2/3 innings for the save in his third relief outing of the week.
 
The win was a historic one for Villanova, which is now 100-32-1 (.756) in an all-time series against the Explorers which dates back nearly a century and a half.  The teams first played each other way back in 1870, and the Wildcats are undefeated in their last 27 home games (26-0-1) versus La Salle since a 7-4 loss on March 24, 1988 at Charles McGeehan Field on the site of what is now part of West Campus.  Friday's result also kept the Explorers winless in 15 tries (0-14-1) at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. 
 
An errant throw in the bottom of the sixth helped create the momentum that Villanova needed to start its way back from a four-run deficit.  Freshman third baseman Nick Lorusso (Monroe, Conn.) singled to lead off the home half of the sixth inning, but Toohers struck out and sophomore center fielder Chris Rotondo (Redding, Conn.) bounced a potential double play ball to short.  Lorusso was erased on a fielder's choice out at second, but the relay throw to first was wide and Rotondo was not only safe at first but also advanced to second on the miscue.  Radvany was up next and he hit the first pitch he saw over the fence in left-center field to cut the deficit in half. 
 
By that point in the game the Wildcats were noticeably gaining steam on their crosstown foes.  Schwartz had struck out the side in the top of the sixth and Applegate (1-1, 8.38 ERA) had pitched a hitless top of the seventh to quiet the La Salle bats. 
 
Lilly led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left-center, took second on a wild pitch and then advanced to third when senior catcher Doug deMarrais (Bernardsville, N.J.) dropped a soft single to right-center.  Freshman pinch runner Theron Schilling (West Chester, Pa.) entered the game to run for deMarrais at first base, and then the game really got interesting as both head coaches reached into their bags of tricks with the game on the line. 
 
Freshman shortstop Dylan McNary (Jefferson, Mass.) hit a sacrifice fly to pull Villanova to within 5-4, at which point the Explorers turned to left-handed reliever Colin Scanlon (2-1, 3.18) with lefty-hitting junior Tyler Bruno (Breinigsville, Pa.) due up.  Right-handed junior John Heilenbach (Western Springs, Ill.) hit for Bruno instead and lined a single to center field.  Sophomore Sam Margulis (Pennington, N.J.) ran for Heilenbach and Lorusso walked to load the bases with La Salle still leading by a run. 
 
That was when the Explorers turned to closer Connor Hinchliffe, owner of six saves and a 0.00 ERA with six hits allowed and 12 strikeouts in nine innings pitched on the season.  The right-handed Hinchliffe threw four straight balls to the lefty-hitting Toohers to force in the tying run and knot the score at 5-5.  He then fell behind Rotondo, 2-0, before coming back to strike him out for the second out of the inning.  That brought up Radvany, who fell into a quick 0-2 hole, worked the count back to 2-2 and then lined a two-run single to left to give Villanova the lead. 
 
Radvany's ball was misplayed in left field and he raced all the way around the bases to third, with the two initial runs scoring and Toohers also coming home as a result of the error.  Two singles and a walk against Applegate in the top of the eighth inning loaded the bases with one away and the top of the order due up.  Rosero entered and got leadoff hitter Peyton Sorrels to fly out for a sacrifice fly and the second out of the inning.  He then got a fly to left for the third out of the inning, then worked around a pair of singles in the ninth inning thanks in part to a line drive to Toohers for an unassisted double play. 
 
Earlier in the game, the Wildcats had a short-lived 1-0 lead when Toohers led off the bottom of the second with a triple and scored on a balk by La Salle starter Matt Holt.  In the top of the fourth inning, Ryan Guckin led off with a single but was thrown out at the plate on an 8-6-2 relay when cleanup hitter Kevin McGowan doubled to left-center field.  Lutner struck out Nick O'Day for the second out, but three straight singles by Tatem Levins, Quentin Brown and Brett Simon led to two runs scoring. 
 
That was the end of the road for Lutner, but later in the inning Sorrels walked to force in a run and Ben Faso delivered a two-run single to cap a five-run inning.  Lutner wound up being charged with six hits and four earned runs, while walking two and striking out four, in his second start of the week.  He also logged two-plus innings in a start against Navy on Tuesday afternoon. 
 
Villanova has defeated La Salle more times than any other opponent it has faced since it debuted as a varsity program in 1866.  Second behind the 100 victories over the Explorers are local rival Saint Joseph's and BIG EAST foe Georgetown, who the Wildcats have beaten 92 times each. 
 
Friday's game marked the beginning of a seesaw three-game weekend series.  The teams will play each other at La Salle at 1 p.m. on Saturday, then returning to the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth for a 12 p.m. matinee on Sunday afternoon.