PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – The Villanova University baseball team dropped its series opening game against Xavier, 13-3, on Thursday afternoon (April 17) at Villanova Ballpark.
 
Despite the loss, second baseman Brayden Leonard was impressive at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three singles. He has gone 8-for-9 (.889 AVG) in his last two games.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first inning, the Wildcats (19-15, 4-3 BIG EAST) gave up three runs on two hits in the top of the second.
 
Villanova was held without a baserunner until the bottom of the fifth inning, when John Freitag reached on an error and came around to score.
 
Xavier (21-18, 6-4 BIG EAST) answered with an eight-run sixth inning, claiming an 11-1 lead. The Musketeers hit a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh, pushing their lead as high as 12.
 
An RBI single by Freitag and a solo home run by Josue Valdez cut the Wildcats' deficit to 13-3 before the conclusion of the game. Xavier starter Logan Schmidt improved to 2-3 with the win, while Villanova starter JP Podgorski fell to 2-3 with the loss.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will face Xavier in the second of three games on Saturday (April 18) at Villanova Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on FloSports.