Box Score QUEENS, N.Y. – In a tie game in the top of the ninth inning, Nick Lorusso (Monroe, Conn.) was the hero singling into center field scoring John Whooley (Wycoff, N.J.) for the go-ahead run and eventual winning run. With the win, Villanova picked up their 20^th victory on the season and improved to 20-13 overall and 8-11 in BIG EAST play while St. Johns falls to 18-20 overall and 9-15 in BIG EAST action.
 
The Wildcats fell behind early in the first inning after the Red Storm capitalized on an error and scored two unearned runs against Villanova ace Gordon Graceffo (Cranford, N.J.). The junior right hander didn't get fully settled in until the third inning when he worked a 6-4-3 double play. Graceffo would cruise into the seventh inning before allowing two hits and being relieved by Jimmy Kingsbury. On the evening, Graceffo tossed six innings surrendering two earned runs on seven hits while striking out eight. Following the start, the junior lowered his season earned run average to 1.54 which ties him for fifth best in the Wildcats record book.
 
Villanova would strike back in the second after Will Reiner (Madison, Conn.) hit a one-out single up the middle and Cameron Hassert (Longmont, Colo.) launched a double into left center scoring Reiner to cut into the lead.
 
Both starting pitchers would settle in after a rocky opening, but the Wildcats would strike again in the fifth when they took the lead. AJ Hansen (Collegeville, Pa.) sent a one-out single into center field before Nick Lorusso launched a two-run homerun to left field to give the Wildcats a lead. In the sixth, Villanova went to work after two quick outs and added an insurance run. Sam Margulis (Pennington, N.J.) dropped down a bunt single before Cameron Hassert and John Whooley singled to score Margulis and extend the lead to 4-2.
 
St. Johns would not go down easily as they plated two runs in the seventh to even the score. A walk and back-to-back singles to open the inning would end Gordon Graceffo's evening and the Red Storm jumped on reliever Jimmy Kingsbury when Jake Lazzaro doubled down the left field line scoring two runs. The senior displayed his poise when he retired the next three batters in a row and kept the game tied. Kingsbury would go on to get the win after tossing three scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out three.
 
The fireworks were set off in the ninth inning. John Whooley opened the inning with a walk before AJ Hansen moved him into scoring position via sacrifice bunt. The Red Storm would turn to a new bullpen arm and Chris Rotondo walked before Nick Lorusso singled into center field scoring Whooley for the winning run. Villanova would load the bases, but St. John's escaped further damage and limited the Wildcats to one run. In the bottom of the frame, Kingsbury picked up two quick outs before St. John's rallied and put runners on the corners with two outs. In a 2-2 count, Kingsbury delivered the final blow and struckout Hogan looking to seal the victory.
 
For Villanova, Nick Lorusso led the charge offensively tallying two hits and three RBI's. The Wildcats smacked ten hits as a team and saw three multi-hit performances on the evening. On the mound, Graceffo and Kingsbury combined to punch out 11 batters while allowing one walk and two earned runs.
 
The Red Storm were led by Jake Lazzaro tallying a multi-hit evening and two RBI's. On the mound, St. John's starting pitcher Nick Mondak threw 6.2 innings and allowed nine hits and four runs. Prior to this evening, both Gordon Graceffo and Nick Mondak were top ten in the country in earned run average.
 
The two teams will turn around and square off in game two tomorrow, May 21 at Jack Kaiser Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00pm from Queens, N.Y. Be sure to follow @VUBaseball on Twitter and @villanovabaseball on Instagram for updates throughout the season.