March 11, 2007

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The long home run hit to right-center field by Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.) in the sixth inning spurred plenty of applause, but it was the walk-off single that he hit in the bottom of the ninth inning that was the most momentous in a 10-9 victory for Villanova (8-5) over Cornell (3-4) on Sunday at La Salle's Hank DeVincent Field. After losing a four-run lead, the Wildcats scored the tying run in the bottom of the eighth inning and won for the fifth time in the last six games on Shunk's fourth hit of the day in the ninth.

The game was a back-and-forth affair from the outset with the side that batted last seemingly destined to have the final answer. That type of contest played right into an area of strength for Villanova, which outlasted the Big Red thanks to an offense that is hitting .379 over its last four games. In the second straight Wildcat home game played at La Salle, the teams combined for 19 runs on 24 hits, while there were 14 walks issued and seven errors charged on the day.

Villanova trailed 9-8 after Cornell scored twice in the top of the eighth inning, but drew even in the bottom half when Robert Parks (Brick, N.J.) drove in a run on a groundout that culminated a 10-pitch at-bat. In the ninth, two hit batsmen and a sacrifice bunt gave the Wildcats runners at first and second with one out. After a line drive to second base was caught for the second out of the inning, Shunk hit the first pitch he saw into the gap in right-center field to score Tim Poydenis (Vero Beach, Fla.) with the winning run.

Early in the game, the Big Red took advantage of an error and passed ball to score three runs in the top of the first inning. Villanova was retired in order in the bottom of the inning but, after escaping a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second, the Wildcats got their offense going. The first pitch in the bottom of the second inning was hit over the fence in left field by Dan Terpak (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) for his third homer of the season. James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) followed with a single to extend his hitting streak to eight games and he eventually scored to pull Villanova to within 3-2.

The Wildcats went in front for the first time in the fourth inning when Joe Cotter (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) and Shunk each had run-scoring singles. A third run scored on an error and Terpak tripled off the fence in deep center field for a fourth run. In the sixth inning, Joe Rosati (Havertown, Pa.) hit a sacrifice fly and Shunk connected on his first long ball of the season to extend the Villanova lead to 8-4.

With wind gusts as high as 25 mph taking a hold of many balls in the air, Cornell got back to within 8-7 on Brant McKown's three-run homer in the seventh inning. In the eighth Brian Kaufman tied the game with a double down the left field line and scored the go-ahead run on a fielder's choice and error one batter later.

Eleven different pitchers combined to throw 333 pitches in a game that lasted well over three hours. Gus Guida (Martinsville, N.J.) came out of the bullpen for the Wildcats and retired all five batters he faced to earn his first win of the season. Guida entered the game with runners at first and second and one out in the eighth after the Big Red had already gone in front 9-8. He retired the next two batters and then quickly worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to give Villanova a chance for last at-bat heroics.

Starting pitcher Bill Hoffman (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) rebounded from a difficult first inning for the second straight start and wound up going six innings in the game. He allowed seven hits and just two earned runs (four runs total) while walking two and striking out five. Shunk collected his fourth four-hit game of the season while scoring twice and driving in three runs. Terpak finished 3-for-3 with a run and two RBI and Cotter went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

Kaufman was 3-for-3 with four runs and two RBI for the Big Red and Domenic Di Ricco had two hits, two walks and three runs scored. Tom Laughlin took the loss, working one-plus innings and allowing one run while waking two and striking out one.

Villanova goes back to DeVincent Field as the visiting team on Tuesday at 3 p.m. when it plays La Salle.

NOTES: Shunk extended his hitting streak to 10 games, a new career-best ... He has 12 hits in his last 19 at-bats (.632) ... Terpak was a double short of the cycle in today's game when he left with an injury in the fifth inning ... As a team, the Wildcats averaged nine runs on 13 hits in four games this past week ... Terpak had six extra-base hits among his seven hits in the four games, including two doubles, two triples and two home runs ... The two games played at DeVincent Field the last two days produced five doubles, seven triples and four home runs thanks to unusual field dimensions ... Part of the outfield overlaps the La Salle field hockey field ... To accommodate that space, the baseball field measures 305 down the lines, 330 to the alleys and 420 to center field.