PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.—In front of a season-high crowd for its annual Alumni Day game on Saturday afternoon, Villanova (9-23, 2-3 BIG EAST) fell to Georgetown (10-25, 1-4 BIG EAST) by a 4-2 score in the opening game of a doubleheader at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.  Combined with a 3-1 win by the Wildcats on Friday afternoon, the teams have now split the first two games of this weekend's three-game series.  The final game of the series, and the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, got underway just after 3:30 p.m. 
 
Senior catcher Doug deMarrais (Bernardsville, N.J.) reached base three times and drove in both Villanova runs in the matinee game.  The second of his two RBI was a long solo home run that soared well beyond the 405 sign in straightaway center field.  The home run led off the bottom of the ninth inning and the Wildcats had the potential tying run at the plate two batters later when junior first baseman Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, N.J.) drew a one-out walk, but a called third strike ended a game that had its share of close calls and unusual circumstances.
 
deMarrais and Bruno had two hits apiece for Villanova, which outhit the visiting Hoyas by an 8-5 margin.  A sacrifice fly by deMarrais in the bottom of the fourth inning brought home the first run of the game and gave the Wildcats a short-lived lead.  Georgetown answered with two runs in the top of the fifth to go in front, 2-1, and later added single runs in the seventh and ninth innings.  Matt Stone was 3-for-4 – including a seventh inning solo home run – with a run scored and two driven in. 
 
Sophomore starting pitcher Jimmy Kingsbury (Phoenixville, Pa.) recorded his fourth straight start of at least seven innings pitched.  He allowed three earned runs on four hits over seven innings of work, while walking two and striking out seven.  Kingsbury (3-4, 4.25 ERA) and classmate Cameron Mathes (Broomall, Pa.) combined on the five-hitter, with each striking out seven.  Mathes struck out the side in the top of the eighth inning and had four strikeouts in the ninth; the first batter in the top of the ninth inning reached on a third-strike passed ball and scored on a one-out double. 
 
Hoyas pitchers Nick Morreale (2-2, 3.95) and Jacob Grzebinski combined for 18 strikeouts in a game that had 32 whiffs in all.  Morreale struck out 12 while giving up a run on five hits in six innings, and Grzebinski allowed three hits and three walks to go along with six strikeouts to earn the save. 
 
It appeared that Georgetown had taken a 1-0 lead on a Ryan P. Davis single to left in the top of the fourth inning, but Davis was called out for using a bat that had not been subjected to standard testing prior to the start of the series.  Instead of having given up the first run of the game, Villanova was out of the inning and coming to bat in the bottom of the fourth inning. 
 
Sophomore second baseman Pat O'Neill (Eagleville, Pa.) singled with one out in the bottom of the fourth and then raced around to third on a well-executed hit-and-run with junior third baseman Timothy Lilly (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) at the plate.  The consecutive hits set the Wildcats up with runners at the corners and one away, and O'Neill hustled home to score on a sacrifice fly to shallow right by deMarrais. 
 
A run-scoring single by Stone and a safety squeeze by James Gabor in the top of the fifth inning gave the Hoyas the lead. 
 
In the top of the sixth inning, Eddie McCabe walked and was caught stealing second for the second out of the inning.  A hard slide and resulting hard tag at second base fueled a raucous crowd that hung on every pitch between the two longtime rivals.  Villanova leads the all-time series with Georgetown, 93-51, including a margin of 76-35 in regular season BIG EAST action. 
 
The large group of former players and their families who were in attendance for Alumni Day enjoyed a pre-game barbecue and other festivities throughout the game.  John Bullock from the Class of 1977, a former team captain, threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the game. 
 
Saturday's doubleheader replaces the original series finale which had been scheduled for Sunday afternoon but was cancelled due to a threat of inclement and severe weather towards the end of the weekend.