PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.—A fast start against the BIG EAST Preseason Pitcher of the Year was just enough for Villanova (7-20, 1-0 BIG EAST) in the first game of a doubleheader against Seton Hall (11-14, 0-1 BIG EAST) on Saturday afternoon.  In the conference opener for both teams, the Wildcats scored four runs in the bottom of the second inning en route to a 6-5 victory.  The second game of the twin-bill was due to start at approximately 3:10 p.m. 
 
Sophomore center fielder Chris Rotondo (Redding, Conn.) had two hits and three runs scored to pace the offense in the victory, while senior designated hitter JP Radvany (Lawrenceville, N.J.) and sophomore second baseman Pat O'Neill (Eagleville, Pa.) each drove in two runs.  Villanova had a 6-3 lead through seven innings, then hung on for the narrow margin of victory after the Pirates pulled to within a run in the top of the eighth inning. 
 
Eight of the game's 11 runs scored crossed the plate in the first two innings.  Freshman starting pitcher Gordon Graceffo (Cranbury, N.J.) worked a season-high six innings for his second win of the season, redshirt freshman reliever Mike Schwartz (Merrick, N.Y.) pitched the seventh and eighth, and senior Jonathan Rosero (Middle Village, N.Y.) retired the side in order for his second save.  Graceffo (2-4, 6.87 ERA) allowed three earned runs on five hits, while walking two and striking out one. 
 
Both teams scored a single run in the first inning, while run-scoring singles by Steve Grober and Connor Hood in the top of the second gave Seton Hall a 3-1 lead.  In the home half of the second, the Wildcats sent nine men to the plate and took the lead for good with four runs on four hits.  Junior right fielder Tyler Bruno (Breinigsville, Pa.) led off the inning with a triple to the right-field fence, junior third baseman John Heilenbach (Western Springs, Ill.) walked and freshman catcher Will Reiner (Madison, Conn.) singled to bring home the first run of the inning. 
 
Rotondo walked to load the bases with one out in the inning, and with two away another free pass to Radvany forced home a run and tied the score at 3-3.  O'Neill followed with a two-run single to left to put a cap on the big inning.  Junior left fielder Timothy Lilly (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) followed O'Neill with another single to left, but Radvany was thrown out at the plate for the final out of the inning. 
 
After the RBI single by Connor Hood in the top of the second inning, Graceffo settled in and retired the next 12 batters he faced.  The streak ended with Matt Toke's two-out single in the top of the sixth, but Graceffo got a groundball to short to end the frame with no damage done. 
 
Schwartz stranded runners at the corners in the top of the seventh and retired the first two batters in the eighth inning before the Pirates mounted a two-out, two-run rally.  Toke singled up the middle and Tyler Shedler-McAvoy walked to set the table, then Grober hit a 3-1 pitch to left for a single which led to two runs scoring.  Toke scored from second on Grober's third hit of the game, and a fielding error in left allowed Shedler-McAvoy to score from first while Grober raced around to third to put the potential tying run just 90 feet away.  Schwartz got a fly ball to left to end the inning however, and Rosero needed just five pitches to get three outs in the ninth. 
 
The win snapped a streak of nine straight losses to Seton Hall dating back to the 2015 season.  Villanova has played the Pirates more times (183) than any other opponent in its history.