Behind an early offensive surge and a series of clutch defensive and pitching moments late, the Hawks held off Richmond for an 11–9 win Friday afternoon at Pitt Field, spoiling the Spiders’ conference opener in a game that swung wildly from the first inning through the final out.
Saint Joseph’s (6–9, 1–0 A-10) struck immediately. The Hawks loaded the bases in the first inning before Richard Beggy singled through the right side to bring home Alex Kelsey. A hit-by-pitch to Jason Janesko forced in Blake Primrose, and Alex Venezia later drew a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 3–0.
The inning nearly grew larger. Tim Dickinson appeared to lift a grand slam toward left field, but with the ball hanging in heavy winds blowing across the field, Dickinson passed Venezia on the bases and was ruled out. The play instead scored three runs and pushed the Hawk advantage to 6–0.
Saint Joseph’s continued the barrage in the second inning when Joey Pagano crushed a three-run home run to right, a towering shot that traveled nearly 400 feet and stretched the lead to 9–0.
Richmond (10–8, 0–1) answered quickly. Sean Scanlon opened the bottom of the second with a solo home run, and the Spiders erased the entire deficit during a stunning eight-run third inning. Dylan Winebrenner both ignited and capped the rally, leading off the inning with a home run and later delivering a grand slam to tie the game at 9–9.
The Hawks responded immediately.
Ben Peterson drew a leadoff walk in the fourth and Kelsey was hit by a pitch before Beggy delivered again, lining a two-run single into left-center field that restored Saint Joseph’s lead at 11–9.
From there, the game shifted from offense to survival.
Reliever Matt Speicher stabilized the contest with three shutout innings, allowing just one hit while striking out four. The Hawks then preserved the lead with one of the afternoon’s most decisive plays.
With runners on second and third and one out in the seventh, Winebrenner lined a shot over Beggy’s head that appeared certain to tie the game. Instead, Beggy leapt to make the catch and then raced back to third base to double off Chris Schaller, ending the threat in one stunning sequence.
Richmond placed two runners on base again in the eighth but failed to score. In the ninth, Andrew Gaines worked around a one-out walk to secure his second save of the season. Appropriately, the final out came to Beggy, who tracked down a foul pop near the third-base line.
Beggy finished 4-for-4 with three RBIs, while Pagano and Dickinson each drove in three runs. Kelsey scored three times and Peterson reached base four times with three walks atop the Hawk lineup.
The turning point came in the fifth inning. Trailing by a run, Villanova strung together three runs to reclaim the lead for good. Austin Lemon sparked the rally with a run-scoring double to left field that plated Jack Roventini and Mark Gialluisi. One batter later, Michael Whooley delivered the biggest swing of the inning, driving a full-count pitch over the left fielder’s head for a triple that pushed the Wildcats ahead, 5–3.
That lead proved enough thanks to a steady performance from the bullpen.
After starter Jake Francis allowed three runs in the third inning as Charleston Southern briefly grabbed a 3–2 lead, sophomore JP Podgorski stabilized the game with four strong innings of relief. The right-hander struck out four while allowing just one run on three hits, earning his first win of the season and keeping the Buccaneers from mounting a larger rally.
Charleston Southern threatened late, but Villanova’s defense preserved the advantage. In the eighth inning, the Wildcats turned a key double play with runners on the corners to escape the inning without damage.
Closer Graham Moore handled the final frame, retiring the Buccaneers in four batters and sealing the victory with a strikeout to record the save.
Villanova had struck first in the opening inning when Carter Richey lined a two-out, two-run double to left field, scoring Lemon and Whooley to give the Wildcats an early 2–0 lead.
Charleston Southern answered with three runs in the third, highlighted by RBI hits from Tyler Wright and Alex Marot, before Villanova’s fifth-inning rally restored control.
Lemon finished with two hits and an RBI to lead the Wildcats’ offense, while Gialluisi contributed defensively by throwing out two runners attempting to steal.
The victory marked Villanova’s third straight win.
Other Scores
East Carolina 17, Penn 3
VCU 6, La Salle 2
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