PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. –Jeff Manto and Chris Rotondo provided key extra base hits to help Villanova rally past Xavier for a 12-5 victory Sunday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Meeting.
 
The Wildcats (15-11 overall, 3-9 BIG EAST) trailed 5-2 heading to the bottom of the fifth but scored three times to tie it in that frame. Manto's RBI double brought home two runners to tie the game at five.
 
One inning later, Rotondo blasted a two-run homer over the wall in left center field to give the Wildcats the lead. Villanova relievers Cameron Mathes and Jimmy Kingsbury kept the Musketeers off the board the rest of the way and the 'Cats put up a five spot in the bottom of the eighth to wrap up the series victory over the Musketeers (17-19 overall, 8-6 BIG EAST).
 
Xavier jumped out to a 1-0 lead against lefthander Danny Wilkinson, the Wildcats' regular closer who made his first collegiate start in this one. Andrew Walker led off the game with a single to right field and then stole second base. The Musketeers' Danny Housinger followed with a line shot into the right field corner that went for a double, scoring Walker.
 
Wilkinson struck out Alex Hamlin for the first out of the inning while Housinger stole third base. Natale Monastra then delivered the RBI with a sacrifice fly to left field to give the Musketeers a 2-0 edge.
 
The Wildcats came right back with an early scoring chance of their own in the bottom half of the frame. Rotondo led off with a double and advanced to third on a passed ball. Ryan Toohers picked up his 18^th RBI of the season, plating Rotondo, on a groundout to the right side.
 
Garrett Schultz connected with the first pitch of the top half of the second inning, sending it over the left field wall to push the Xavier lead to 3-1. Wilkinson retired the next two Musketeers before Xavier loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single. But the Wildcats' lefthander got Hamlin on a comebacker to escape further damage.
 
Villanova's Cameron Hassert was hit by a pitch to open the bottom half of the second inning. Manto then drilled a single over the first base bag into the right field corner to move Hassert to third base with no one out. Sam Margulis dropped a bunt down intended to bring Hassert home, which it did. Margulis also reached first safely, and the Wildcats were within 3-2 with no outs.
 
Xavier, however, limited the damage to the sole run and retained a 3-2 lead after two innings.
 
Devin Rivera took over from Wilkinson on the mound for the Wildcats in the top of the third. Monastra singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Schultz then pulled a shot into left field that Manto could not come up with on a diving bid. The hit went for a triple and the Musketeers were on top by a 4-2 count. Rivera struck out Jeff Holtz and retired  Eddie Rivero on a groundout to Hassert at shortstop to strand Schultz at third.
 
Rivera got a pair of strikeouts to end the top of the fourth with no runs across for Xavier. The Wildcats were also scoreless in their half of the fourth inning.
 
Mathes came on to relieve Rivera with one out and a Xavier runner on third base in the top of the fifth. An RBI double into the left field corner by Jeff Holtz pushed the Musketeers' lead to 5-2. But Mathes struck out Walker to end the top half of the inning.
 
A two-out RBI single by Hassert in the bottom of the fifth narrowed the deficit to 5-3. Manto then drove a double into the gap in right center field, scoring two, to tie the game at five.
 
Mathes set the Musketeers down without any damage in the top of the sixth thanks in part to a strong throw from catcher Will Reiner that erased a stolen base bid by Hemlin, who had reached base on a single. An Anthony Schooley single to start the bottom half of the inning was followed by a successful sacrifice by Reiner, advancing Schooley to second for the top of the order. Rotondo then blasted a breaking ball over the wall in left center field to put the Wildcats on top 7-5.
 
The home run was Rotondo's fourth of the season.
 
Following a scoreless seventh inning for both teams, the next threat came via a one-out double by Xavier's Walker in the eighth. Kingsbury got Housinger on a deep fly ball that Nick Oar corralled, with Walker tagging up and advancing to third base. Kingsbury then got Hemlin on fly ball to Rodondo in shallow center field to strand Walker and retain the two-run margin.
 
The Wildcats put the game out of reach in the bottom half of the eighth, plating five runs on five hits off a trio of Musketeer relievers.
 
Kingsbury closed it out in the top of the ninth, capping a three-inning stint for the save while Mathes was credited with the victory. Ethan Bosacker absorbed the loss for Xavier.
 
Seven different Wildcats had at least one hit with Rotondo and Nick Lorusso credited with three apiece.
 
The Wildcats next see action Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. when they host Georgetown to kick off another BIG EAST weekend set.