PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – Jason Neff was just a triple short of the cycle for the second straight game as the Villanova University baseball team dropped its series opener to UConn, 19-7, on Friday (May 2) at Villanova Ballpark.
 
Neff went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run. Austin Lemon also tallied three hits on the day, hitting one double and a pair of base hits. Jake Bollin pitched in with a pinch-hit three-run home run in the ninth.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The 'Cats (20-22, 4-9 BIG EAST) got on the board early with a solo shot by Neff in the first inning, however UConn (28-18, 12-4 BIG EAST) answered immediately with a solo home run of their own by Sam Biller in the top of the second.
 
When Villanova took the lead back in the bottom of the third – scoring a run off of a Michael Whooley ground ball that went down as a fielder's choice – the Huskies answered with another long ball from Biller to tie the game at two runs apiece.
 
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Wildcats took another lead with a bases-loaded walk drawn by JoJo Montgomery, putting VU in front, 3-2.
 
Once again, UConn had an answer for Villanova's offense. Beau Root drove a two-run home run over the right field wall, giving the Huskies a 4-3 advantage.
 
The Wildcats were held scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, and UConn took advantage by breaking the game open with a 10-run eighth inning. The Huskies tacked on five more in the ninth, increasing their lead as high as 16.
 
Villanova put together a short-lived spurt in the bottom of the ninth, with a three-run home run by Bollin and an RBI single from Whooley plating four runs, but it wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit.
 
UConn reliever Sean Finn improved to 6-1 with the win, while Alec Sachais fell to 4-5 with the loss.
 
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will face UConn again on Saturday (May 3) at Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. First pitch has been moved to 12:30 p.m. ET, and the game will be streamed live on FloSports.