VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova baseball team used an explosive offensive performance and strong pitching down the stretch to defeat Hofstra in a midweek matchup at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth Meeting.
The Wildcats jumped out early and held off a late push from the Pride, pairing timely hitting with a lockdown bullpen effort to move back to .500 on the season.
OFFENSE ERUPTS EARLY
Villanova wasted no time getting the bats going, breaking through in the second inning with a big offensive frame.
Senior
Collin Quintano ignited the rally with a solo home run to right-center, answering Hofstra's homer in the previous half inning. The Wildcats kept the pressure on as graduate student
Carter Richey reached base, setting up sophomore
JoJo Montgomery, who launched a two-run shot to left-center to give Villanova the lead.
The inning continued to snowball, with
Larry Hotaling, Mark Giallusi, and
Jack Roventini all reaching to load the bases. Sophomore
Austin Lemon capped the rally with a sacrifice fly, as the Wildcats plated four runs to take early control.
ADDING ON
Villanova extended its lead in the fourth inning.
Lemon brought home a run on a double play, and sophomore
Brayden Leonard followed with an RBI single up the middle to push the advantage further as the Wildcats continued to build momentum.
HOFSTRA RESPONDS
Hofstra fought back in the middle innings, scoring three runs in the fifth to cut into the deficit.
The Pride added two more in the sixth, including a two-run home run, to tie the game heading into the final three innings. Hofstra then took the lead on a solo shot from Corona, grabbing a late one-run edge.
WILDCATS ANSWER LATE
Villanova responded when it mattered most.
In the seventh inning, Hotaling led off with a triple and later scored on a Hofstra error to even the game. Senior
Michael Whooley followed with a clutch RBI single through the left side, putting the Wildcats back in front, 9–8—a lead they would not relinquish.
STRONG OUT OF THE BULLPEN
Matthew Kahn earned his second win of the season with a dominant outing in relief, striking out four batters over just more than an inning of work.
Senior
Graham Moore followed with a perfect eighth inning, adding a strikeout to keep Villanova in front.
FRANCIS CLOSES IT OUT
Junior
Jake Francis shut the door in the ninth to secure the victory.
After allowing a one-out hit, Francis induced a game-ending double play to lock down the save and seal the win for the Wildcats.
NOTES
UP NEXT
Villanova travels to Texas for a three-game series against UT Arlington, beginning Friday, March 27 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
