PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – The Villanova baseball team dropped the opener of its three-game BIG EAST series against St. John's, 8-1, on Friday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark.
St. John's struck first in the top of the second inning. After a leadoff double into the left-center gap, the Red Storm brought home the game's first run on a groundout to shortstop.
The Red Storm added to their lead in the fourth with a two-out rally. Following a walk, St. John's delivered a two-run double to right field before adding an RBI single later in the inning to extend the advantage to 4-0.
Villanova answered in the bottom half of the frame to trim the deficit to three. With two outs, sophomore Austin Lemon doubled down the line before freshman Larry Hotaling drove a stand-up double over the right fielder's head to score the Wildcats' lone run of the afternoon.
St. John's quickly responded in the fifth, leading off the inning with a solo home run to left field to push the lead back to four runs.
The Red Storm continued to capitalize with two outs throughout the game. In the sixth, a two-strike RBI double down the right-field line plated another run, giving St. John's a 6-1 advantage. They added another run in the seventh on a two-out RBI single up the middle before tacking on one final run in the eighth to secure the 8-1 victory.
Up Next:
Villanova will continue its three-game series against St. John's on Saturday, May 9. First pitch at the Villanova Ballpark is scheduled for 2:05 p.m.
