PLYMOUTH TOWNSHIP, Pa. ? Things got interesting late, but the Saint Joseph's baseball team staved off a furious ninth-inning Villanova rally en route to a 6-4 win at Villanova Ballpark on Tuesday afternoon.
The Hawks had an early opportunity to take the lead, notching three hits in the top of the first inning, but a caught stealing and a pair of flyouts left the game scoreless.
Villanova (5-19) threatened in the third, putting two on with one out, but Cole Stetzar induced a double play ball from David Gulati to escape the inning unscathed.
Saint Joseph's (13-13) broke through in the top of the fifth for the game's first runs. ?Kadar Namey and Brian Markoski started the frame with consecutive singles before a sacrifice bunt from Vince Capone left runners on second and third with one out.
Matt Maul then drew a walk to load the bases for Jake Artz, who promptly unloaded them with a double to left that scored all three runners and put the Hawks in front.
Marc Giacalone then started the sixth with a walk, advanced to third on a passed ball and a groundout, and then came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Namey to extend the lead to 4-0.
The Wildcats got on the board in the bottom half of the sixth, as three hit batsmen loaded the bases for Josh Kim, who reached on a catcher's interference call that allowed John Heilenbach to score.
SJU threatened, putting two on in the seventh and loading the bases again in the eight, but ultimately failed to push across any more insurance runs until the ninth. ?Artz led off with a walk before Charlie Concannon beat out an infield single to leave two on with nobody out. A double play ball moved Artz to third, and Giacalone brought him home with a first-pitch triple down the right field line. ?Stetzar followed with a single to center, scoring Giacalone and making it a 6-1 game.
The runs proved critical as the Wildcats pushed three across with two outs in the ninth to make things interesting. ?After a pair of quick strikeouts, a single and a walk brought Heilenbach to the plate, whose single scored Gulati to cut the margin to four.
After a walk to JP Radvany loaded the bases, a walk to Brandon Campos and an infield single by Timothy Lilly made it a 6-4 game, but Eric Sigovich retired Jeff Manto on strikes to end the ballgame.
Sigovich notched his second save of the season, preserving the win for Jose Martinez, who moved to 1-0 after allowing an unearned run on two hits in two and two-thirds innings. ?Jonathan Rosero took the loss for Villanova, allowing three runs on six hits in five innings, to fall to 0-4.
The teams will meet again on Wednesday at Smithson Field. ?First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. Streaming video will be available with a subscription to the Atlantic 10 Network.
ALUMNI AND FAMILY DAY
The Saint Joseph's baseball program will host its annual Alumni and Family Day on Saturday, April 14, when the Hawks host Davidson at Smithson Field at 2:00 p.m. ?The Hawk will be in attendance, fans can enjoy ballpark-themed snacks, and children can run the bases following the conclusion of the game. For more information, contact Christina Henderson at 610-660-3280 or chenders@sju.edu.
