PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Pitchers
Jake Francis and
Alec Sachais combined to limit LIU to just one run and seven hits as the Villanova baseball team defeated the Sharks, 3-1, on Sunday (March 30) at Villanova Ballpark.
Francis got the start and went six shutout innings while throwing a career-high five strikeouts. He allowed just three hits and one walk. In the late innings, Sachais struck out four and allowed one run to score, earning a nine-out save.
At the plate, designated hitter
Austin Lemon and right fielder
John Freitag led the way. Both players posted two hits, a walk and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first inning, Lemon hit a deep fly ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, scoring
Collin Quintano from third and giving the Wildcats (15-11) a 1-0 lead.
Francis and LIU (12-16) starter Justin DeCastro shined through the middle innings, holding each team scoreless until the bottom of the seventh.
With runners on first and second in the seventh frame, Freitag ripped an RBI single to score Lemon and extend Villanova's lead to two. Later in the inning,
Shane Solari, who replaced Freitag as a pinch runner on first, scored on a wild pitch, bringing the Blue and White advantage to 3-0.
Sachais surrendered a run by way of three hits in the top of the eighth, but got out of the inning with a clutch full-count strikeout to keep Villanova in front.
PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Pitchers
Jake Francis and
Alec Sachais combined to limit LIU to just one run and seven hits as the Villanova baseball team defeated the Sharks, 3-1, on Sunday (March 30) at Villanova Ballpark.
Francis got the start and went six shutout innings while throwing a career-high five strikeouts. He allowed just three hits and one walk. In the late innings, Sachais struck out four and allowed one run to score, earning a nine-out save.
At the plate, designated hitter
Austin Lemon and right fielder
John Freitag led the way. Both players posted two hits, a walk and an RBI.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After a scoreless first inning, Lemon hit a deep fly ball with the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, scoring
Collin Quintano from third and giving the Wildcats (15-11) a 1-0 lead.
Francis and LIU (12-16) starter Justin DeCastro shined through the middle innings, holding each team scoreless until the bottom of the seventh.
With runners on first and second in the seventh frame, Freitag ripped an RBI single to score Lemon and extend Villanova's lead to two. Later in the inning,
Shane Solari, who replaced Freitag as a pinch runner on first, scored on a wild pitch, bringing the Blue and White advantage to 3-0.
Sachais surrendered a run by way of three hits in the top of the eighth, but got out of the inning with a clutch full-count strikeout to keep Villanova in front.
Sachais retired the Sharks 1-2-3 in the ninth, securing his third save of the year and the 3-1 win for the Wildcats.
Francis earned the win to improve to a team-best 4-0 on the season. DeCastro fell to 3-3 with the loss.
BY THE NUMBERS
- With an RBI single in the seventh, Freitag now has eight RBI in his last four games. He currently has the Wildcats' longest active hitting streak at four games.
- Lemon has reached base in all 20 games he has appeared in this season.
- Francis now leads the Wildcats in ERA (3.52) and WHIP (1.14).
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will host Rider in the Liberty Bell Classic Semifinal on Tuesday (April 1) at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. First pitch is scheduled for 3:25 p.m. and the game will be streamed live on FloSports.
