CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Villanova baseball team dropped the final game of its three-game series at Xavier, 9-6, on Sunday, April 12,at Hayden Field.

Unlike the first two games of the series, Xavier struck first. With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, the Musketeers launched a solo home run to left-center field to take an early 1-0 lead.

Villanova answered in the top of the second, as freshman Larry Hotaling connected on a no-doubt solo shot to left field—his first career home run—to even the score at 1-1.

From there, both pitchers settled in. Bobby Finn got the start for the Wildcats and bounced back nicely after the opening-inning homer, retiring the next several batters and allowing no hits over the following three innings to keep the game tied.

The score remained deadlocked until the bottom of the sixth, when Xavier broke through. After a one-out double, the Musketeers plated a run with an RBI single to take a 2-1 lead. Xavier then added to its advantage with a bases-clearing double, followed by another RBI double, and continued to pile on with two more runs later in the inning. In total, the Musketeers scored seven runs in the sixth to take control of the game, 8-1.

Trailing 9-1 entering the ninth, Villanova mounted a late rally. Brayden Leonard doubled with the bases loaded to drive in two runs, and with two outs, Collin Quintano delivered a two-run double to right-center field to cut the deficit to 9-5. Quintano later came around to score on an error, but the comeback fell short as the Wildcats dropped the series finale, 9-6.

Up Next: Villanova returns to Plymouth Meeting to host Bucknell in a single game on Tuesday, April 14. First pitch is scheduled for 3:35 p.m.