STONY BROOK, N.Y.—Senior starting pitcher
Tyler Arella (East Northport, N.Y.) had a career-high 10 strikeouts over six scoreless innings and the bullpen bent but didn't break as Villanova (5-2) held on for a 2-1 victory in the front end of a home-and-home weekend series against Stony Brook (4-6) at Joe Nathan Field on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore closer
Danny Wilkinson (Scotch Plains, N.J.) stranded the bases loaded to end the game and earn his fourth save of the season.
Senior center fielder
Chris Rotondo (Redding, Conn.) and fifth-year first baseman
Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, N.J.) had two hits apiece for the Wildcats, who had six hits on the day and scored both of their runs in the top of the sixth inning. The difference in the game came down to Arella, sophomore reliever
Brandon Siegenthaler (Montvale, N.J.) and Wilkinson making big pitches when they counted the most. Although the Seawolves had nine hits and drew five walks, they also stranded 14 runners on base and were just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Wilkinson came on to protect a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning and was in quick trouble through no fault of his own. A fielding error leading off the inning and an ensuing sacrifice bunt put the potential tying run into scoring position with one out. With number three hitter John Tuccillo at the plate, a catcher's interference call on a 1-0 pitch added the potential winning run at first base. Wilkinson struck out cleanup hitter Brett Paulsen on three straight swings and misses for the second out, but a passed ball while Evan Fox was up moved both the tying and winning runs into scoring position.
An eventual walk to Fox loaded the bases, but Wilkinson got Johnny Decker to fly out to left to end the game and lock down his eighth career save in 11 appearances. He has already pulled into a tie for 12
th place in school history with those eight saves, and one more would tie him for ninth place.
Arella (1-0, 4.05 ERA) and Sam Turcotte (1-1, 1.93 ERA) waged a scoreless pitchers' duel through the first five innings before Villanova broke through in the top of the sixth. Sophomore left fielder
AJ Hansen (Collegeville, Pa.) drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a balk and moved to third on Rotondo's single to left. With runners at the corners and nobody out, freshman second baseman
Cameron Hassert (Longmont, Colo.) executed a successful safety squeeze on a bunt to third base which brought home Hansen with the game's first run. Rotondo was at second with two away when Toohers tripled to center field to extend the lead to 2-0.
A leadoff triple by Rotondo in the eighth inning gave the Wildcats a chance to extend its 2-1 advantage, but he was still at third after a strikeout and a flyout to right-center. Toohers was intentionally walked and Stony Brook reliever Kyle Johnson got a strikeout for the final out of the inning.
Arella departed after six innings and the Seawolves manufactured a two-out run against Siegenthaler in the bottom of the seventh inning. Siegenthaler retired the first two batters he faced, but leadoff hitter Evan Giordano singled to left for his third hit of the game. He advanced to second on a wild pitch, John LaRocca walked and Tuccillo delivered an RBI single to left which got Stony Brook on the board. Siegenthaler had the last word however, as he retired Paulsen on a fly to right and then walked around a leadoff single to strand two runners in a scoreless eighth inning.
The teams will meet again on Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.
