PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – The Villanova baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader to Creighton on Saturday, April 18. The Wildcats fell 20-2 in game one and 14-3 in game two, as the Blue Jays secured the series victory.
GAME ONE
Creighton struck first in the second inning with a five-run frame. The Blue Jays opened the scoring with a two-run home run to left-center, then followed with a walk and an infield single to load the bases. A three-run double into right-center cleared the bases and gave Creighton a 5-0 lead after two innings.
After a scoreless third, the Blue Jays added to their lead in the fourth with another two-run homer to left-center, extending the margin to 7-0.
Villanova responded in the bottom of the fourth, showing patience at the plate by drawing multiple walks to load the bases.
Brayden Leonard and
Michael Whooley each worked bases-loaded walks to bring in two runs and cut the deficit to 7-2.
Creighton added a run in the sixth after a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI double to left field, pushing the lead to 8-2.
The Blue Jays broke the game open in the seventh, erupting for nine runs to extend their lead to 17-2. The inning was highlighted by a three-run home run to left-center.
Creighton went on to take game one, 20-2, and clinch the series.
GAME TWO
Villanova jumped out to an early lead in game two. With two outs in the first inning, senior
Michael Whooley launched a home run to left-center—his fifth of the season—to give the Wildcats a 1-0 advantage.
Creighton responded in the second inning by loading the bases with a walk, hit-by-pitch, and single. A hit-by-pitch brought in the tying run, and a sacrifice fly gave the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. A groundout added another run, as Creighton took a 3-1 advantage despite recording just one hit in the inning.
The Blue Jays continued to build their lead in the fourth. With the bases loaded and no outs, a double to left field cleared the bases for three runs. An RBI single followed, and Creighton later scored on a stolen base and throwing error to make it 10-1.
Creighton added two more runs in the fifth on a bloop single to right field, extending the lead to 12-1.
Villanova plated two runs in the seventh. After
Larry Hotaling was hit by a pitch and Chris Lemon singled to right, the Wildcats executed a double steal with runners on the corners, allowing Hotaling to score. Later in the inning,
Jack Roventini came home on an error following a
JoJo Montgomery single, cutting the deficit to 12-3.
The Blue Jays answered with two runs in the late innings, scoring on a wild pitch and an RBI single to secure the 14-3 win.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will travel to Seton Hall for a three-game series beginning Friday, April 24.
