PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa.—A straight steal of home with two outs in the top of the fourth inning wound up being the only run of the game as Villanova (14-11, 2-9 BIG EAST) narrowly lost a 1-0 decision to Xavier (17-18, 8-5 BIG EAST) at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth on Saturday afternoon. Senior starting pitcher Tyler Arella (East Northport, N.Y.) pitched seven strong innings in the second pitchers' duel in as many days between the Wildcats and Musketeers. The teams have split the first two games of a three-game series, with Villanova winning the series opener 2-1 on Friday afternoon.
 
Xavier had runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the fourth inning and both runners broke simultaneously before Arella (1-3, 4.04 ERA) delivered an 0-2 pitch to first baseman Jonathan Kelly. By the time Arella broke from his set position and looked towards home plate, lead runner Alex Helmin was crossing the plate to give the Musketeers a 1-0 lead and trailing runner Tyler DeMartino was sliding into second base as Xavier pulled off the double steal. Arella's next pitch to Kelly was swung on and missed for an inning-ending strikeout.
 
The combination of a spotless blue sky and a steady breeze made several fly balls into the outfield an adventure for both teams when the ball was knocked down by the wind which was blowing in from left to right. As such, it was just by chance that the Musketeers were even in position to try the double steal which led to the game's lone run scoring. Batting with runners at first and second with one out in the fourth inning, DeMartino lofted the first pitch he saw into right field. The wind knocked the fly ball down and it fell in front of senior right fielder Sam Margulis (Pennington, N.J.) who was shading his eyes as he tried to catch the ball in front of him.
 
Both runners held up on DeMartino's fly ball and Margulis got a force out at second base for the second out of the inning. Helmin had led off the top of the fourth with a single to right and he advanced to third on the fielder's choice fly ball to set up first and third with Kelly batting. Kelly fouled off the first two pitches from Arella before the Musketeers tried and succeeded on the double steal.
 
Villanova had scoring chances of its own in the seventh and eighth innings despite being held to three hits on the day. Sophomore third baseman Jack O'Reilly (Villanova, Pa.) walked to lead off the bottom of the seventh and right fielder Nick Oar (Pleasant Hill, Calif.) sacrificed him to second. That brought up freshman shortstop Cameron Hassert (Longmont, Colo.), who hit a 3-2 pitch back up the middle. Xavier shortstop Jack Housinger had no play on the ball but was able to dive and knock it down just a few feet onto the outfield grass to keep O'Reilly at third base with one away. With sophomore designated hitter John Whooley (Wyckoff, N.J.) at the plate and the count 1-2, the Musketeers made a pitching change and brought in Trey Schramm who retired Whooley and junior catcher Will Reiner (Madison, Conn.) to end the inning.
 
In the eighth inning, Margulis led off with a single to right-center and junior second baseman Nick Lorusso (Monroe, Conn.) walked with one out. Senior first baseman Ryan Toohers (Florham Park, N.J.) hit a 1-0 pitch to deep center field which initially carried well before ultimately being knocked down by the wind and caught at the warning track for the second out of the inning. Hassert, Reiner and Margulis had the only three hits – all singles – of the game for Villanova while Lorusso and O'Reilly each drew two of the Wildcats five walks.
 
Arella gave up six hits while walking two and striking out six in seven innings of work. The fifth-year southpaw, fully healthy in 2021 after battling injuries throughout parts of his collegiate career, has had something of a renaissance season in the Villanova starting rotation. He matched a season-high with his seven innings pitched on Saturday and has now given up two earned runs or fewer in five of his seven starts on the year. Senior right-hander Jimmy Kingsbury (Phoenixville, Pa.) pitched two scoreless innings of relief behind Arella.
 
Xavier starting pitcher Nick Zwack (5-3, 2.78 ERA) allowed two hits while walking three and striking out seven over 6 1/3 innings to get the win.
 
The final game of the weekend series is at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
 
NOTES: Villanova is 17-21 all-time in games that end with a 1-0 score … There have been just four total runs scored in the first two games of the series, with the Wildcats winning 2-1 on Friday … The four combined runs between Villanova and its opponent in a two-game span is not the lowest scoring back-to-back contests in the Wildcats record book … On the final home weekend of the 2017 season Villanova was shutout in consecutive games (1-0 and 2-0) by Seton Hall … At the end of the 1944 season, the Wildcats also played back-to-back games where only three total runs were scored … They were in a 1-1 tie against the Valley Forge Hospital Staff and a 1-0 win over the Philadelphia Marines.