TAMPA, Fla. – For the first time since 2007, the Villanova University baseball team clinched its third three-game series win in a row with an 8-5 victory over South Florida on Sunday (March 9) at the USF Baseball Stadium. The Blue and White have taken two-of-three games at Winthrop, Lipscomb and now South Florida to open the season.
Aidan Barry led the way at the plate with three hits, a home run and four RBI. Barry's three-run homer in the sixth inning gave the Wildcats (8-6) a three-run lead that they would hold throughout the remainder of the game. On the mound, Villanova used five different pitchers – none of which through more than three innings – to hold the Bulls (7-7) in check.
Alec Sachais earned his second save of the season, logging 3.0 innings pitched and a season-high five strikeouts.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The 'Cats put a run on the board early, with a two-out RBI single by
John Freitag scoring
Jason Neff to give Villanova a 1-0 lead.
Sophomore
CJ Furey kept the Bulls out of the hit column over the first two innings in his first start of the season. However, USF scored two runs on two hits in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead.
The Wildcats answered immediately in the top of the fourth with an RBI single by Barry, evening the score at two runs apiece.
After a scoreless fifth frame, the Wildcats put up four runs in the top of the sixth inning. To lead off the inning, third baseman
Michael Whooley doubled to left field and was immediately driven in by a base hit from Neff. Then, with one out and runners on the corners, Barry launched his first home run of the year over the right field fence to give Villanova a 6-2 advantage.
South Florida answered by putting two runs on the board in the bottom half of the inning, but the Wildcats bounced back with a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, keeping their lead at four.
Sachais came out of the bullpen in the seventh and allowed only one run the rest of the game, logging the three-inning save and securing an 8-5 win for Villanova.
Jake Francis was credited with the win, improving to 2-0 on the season. Starter Bryce Archie received the loss for USF, falling to 0-1.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Barry's four RBI are a career high. His home run in the sixth inning was the second of his career.
- Despite not logging a hit, Austin Lemon recorded a walk to extend his on-base streak to 14 games to start the season.
- Furey's 2.2 hitless innings accounted for the longest outing of his career.
- Francis went 2.0 innings without an earned run, earning the win a day after logging a save in Saturday's 12-9 victory (March 8).
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will begin a five-game homestand with a midweek game against Monmouth on Wednesday (March 12) at Villanova Ballpark in Plymouth Meeting, Pa. First pitch is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. ET and the game will be streamed live on FloSports.
