CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Villanova baseball team dropped a hard-fought Game 2 of the series to Xavier, 9-7, after the Musketeers hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth at Hayden Field on Saturday, April 11.

Villanova came out swinging, with the first two batters reaching base in the opening inning. Senior Collin Quintano opened the scoring with an RBI single to left-center, driving in Austin Lemon to give the Wildcats an early lead.

After a scoreless bottom of the first, Villanova's offense stayed hot in the second. Mark Gialluisi led off the inning with a solo home run to left field. Jojo Montgomery followed with a single, and Jack Roventini doubled to put runners in scoring position. Montgomery later scored on an error, and Quintano added two more RBIs with a single to left, extending the lead to 5-0.

The Wildcats continued to apply pressure in the third. Back-to-back leadoff hits set the table, and freshman Larry Hotaling drove in Gialluisi with a sacrifice fly to push the advantage to 6-1. Xavier responded with a solo home run in the bottom half, but Villanova still led 6-1 after three innings.

Villanova added another run in the fifth. With runners on the corners, Hotaling scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1.

Xavier answered in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a bases-loaded situation to plate three runs and cut the deficit to 7-4, including a fielders' choice and a pair of runs following an error.

Senior Graham Moore provided solid relief in the middle innings, tossing three scoreless frames and striking out two while maintaining Villanova's lead.

The Musketeers chipped away again in the eighth with a two-run home run to right-center, pulling within one. In the ninth, Xavier tied the game with a two-out RBI single before sealing the comeback with a walk-off two-run homer to secure a 9-7 victory.

Up Next: Villanova closes out the series against Xavier on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.