March 28, 2002

Box Score

BETHESDA, MD. - In the second game of a Thursday Big East doubleheader on March 28 at Shirley Povich Field, the Villanova baseball team defeated the Georgetown Hoyas, 8-6, to complete the two-game sweep. The Wildcats have now won three straight conference games and are 14-9 overall on the year and 3-2 in Big East play. The Hoyas fell to 7-14 overall and 2-6 in conference action.

In the top of the second inning, the Villanova offense put three runs on the board to give Wildcat starter Tom Kandybowicz an early 3-0 advantage. Right fielder Brian Newbold singled through the right side with one out, and advanced to second one batter later when second baseman Brendan Trainor was hit by a pitch from Georgetown starter Eric Sutton. Villanova shortstop Brian Trotta gave the `Cats their first lead, hitting a 1-1 pitch by Sutton over the wall in left-centerfield for a three-run home run. Trotta's home run, his first of the season, gave the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

The Hoyas cut the Villanova lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Carlos Gazitua led off the inning with a double to left field. With two outs in the inning and Gazitua on third, right fielder Bill Quinn doubled to right-center field to score Gazitua with Georgetown's first run of the contest.

In the top of the third inning, the Wildcats extended their lead when first baseman Rob Cafiero hit a solo home run to center field. The home run was Cafiero's sixth long ball of the season and gave Villanova a 4-1 lead.

Mannix hurt the Hoyas again in the top of the fifth inning. With two outs and runners at second and third, he doubled over the center fielder's head to score both runners and give the `Cats a 6-1 advantage.

Villanova's five-lead would be erased in the bottom of the fifth inning. Georgetown scored five runs on six hits in the inning to tie the game up at 6-6. Right fielder Bill Quinn hit a two-run home run off of Kandybowicz and first baseman Ron Cano followed that up later in the inning with a two-run double to right to cut the Wildcat lead to 6-5. Villanova sophomore right-hander Dan Farino came on in relief of Kandybowicz with Cano on second and two outs. Gazitua hit a 2-2 offering by Farino into left field for a single to score Cano with the tying run.

The game would not be tied for long as the Wildcats scored twice in the top of the sixth inning to reclaim the lead at 8-6. With Trotta on second and one out, center fielder Chris Graziano hit a looping double down the left field line to score Trotta with the go-ahead run. Graziano went to third on a throwing error by the left fielder. One batter later, designated hitter Dustin Downs hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Graziano and increase the Villanova lead to 8-6.

After Farino shut down Georgetown for two and a third innings, Russell came on in the eighth and slammed the door on the Hoyas. Russell threw two shutout innings to pick up his second save of the day and seventh of the year. Farino got the victory to improve to 2-0 on the season.

At the plate, Cafiero went two-for-five with a home run and one RBI, Mannix went one-for-three with a double and two RBI, and Trotta went one-for-four with a home run and a team-high three RBI.