PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Villanova batted through its entire order Tuesday in a fifth inning that saw it score five runs, four with just one out on the board, to give it the distance it needed to run away from Bucknell 10-4 at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.

Eight Villanova (12-16-1) batters recorded at least one hit in the win as the team was walked eight times. Six Wildcats had at least one RBI. Graduate centerfielder Chris Rotondo led the effort with 3 RBI on a 2-for-5 day with a double. Both Shane Solari and August Biggio accounted for two RBI each. Solari was 2-for-5 while Biggio went 1-for-1, getting walked and hit by a pitch while also slamming his first homer on the first hit of his career. Joey Castellanos extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a 2-for-3 day, being walked twice. While the team recorded 13 hits, they left 13 runners on total with three innings seeing three Wildcats stranded.

Wildcat pitchers fanned seven Bucknell (14-17) batters, allowing nine runs and only walking three. Chic DeGaetano moved to 3-0 on the year, pitching 6 1/3 innings with two runs on five hits allowed, walking two and fanning three. He and the Villanova defense retired batters in order for four innings throughout the contest.

Villanova has won five of its last six games and has won three straight Tuesday contests.

With two on in the second, Will Reiner caught a runner at first to close the inning with the sixth pickoff of his career. He is now third in program history among catchers for pickoffs and is tied for ninth for career pickoffs since 2000.

A fielding error by Bucknell in the bottom of the second loaded the bases for the Wildcats. Biggio was delivered a walk, bringing John Whooley across for the first run of the day. That was followed up by a two-run single to left by Rotondo, bringing the lead to 3-0 and forcing the Bison to make a call to the bullpen for Renn Lints to relieve Brady Swenson. Villanova loaded the bases yet again, but each man was left standing on a line out to left.

The Bison got on the board with an RBI single to left center in the top of the third with Grant Voytovich scoring Kyle Lyons from second, but the threat ended with a putout from Rotondo to Castellanos to get Anthony Sherwin out at third and end the frame.

Biggio came up big in the bottom of the fourth, sending the left fielder back toward the wall just to see the first hit of his career sail over the wall to make it a 4-1 game.

Villanova posted a five-run inning in the fifth to add plenty of insurance.

The blitz opened with the 'Cats loading the bases on a pair of singles for Jack O'Reilly and Whooley and a Castellanos walk. Reiner walked O'Reilly in for a four-run lead, forcing Bucknell to turn to the bullpen again, bringing in Terwilliger. Solari tacked on a two-run single to left center to score Whooley and Castellanos. An RBI hit by pitch to Rotondo and an RBI fielder's choice for O'Neill pushed Villanova's lead out to 9-1.
Devin Rivera entered in the seventh after Bucknell scored on an RBI double to left by Kendall Pierson, cutting into the deficit, 9-2. He got out of the jam, striking out Logan Kellerman to leave a man standing at third.
Rotondo opened the bottom of the seventh with a double down the left field line before a walk to O'Reilly placed runners on for Castellanos. He looped a single through the left side to send Rotondo racing around third and heading home for a 10-2 advantage.

Bucknell posted a run in each of the final two innings against Patrick Montfort and Marcus LaBuda, respectively, to gain some ground but it wasn't enough. Voytovich sent Lyons home on an RBI single in the eighth with one out on the board. In the ninth, the Bison loaded the bases for Cannizzaro on back-to-back singles and a walk. He was hit by a pitch, walking Billy Kender in to make it 10-4 before a put out at second ended it, stranding three.

The Bison used eight pitchers in the with the 'Cats posting at least one earned run on four of them. As a whole, they struck out eight Wildcat batters.

Villanova hits the road this weekend for a BIG EAST series with Xavier. That series starts on Thursday with a 3 p.m. first pitch from Cincinnati, Ohio.