Villanova picked up a 4–0 win over North Florida on Wednesday night at Harmon Stadium, combining strong pitching and timely hitting to improve to 3–6 on the season.
Five Wildcats pitchers limited the Ospreys to just three hits in the program’s first shutout of the year.
Villanova struck quickly in the first inning. Austin Lemon drew a walk and later scored when John Freitag delivered an RBI single to give the Wildcats an early lead.
The offense added breathing room in the fifth. Mark Gialluisi reached base and eventually scored on an RBI single from Brayden Leonard. Freitag followed with his second RBI of the night, bringing Leonard home to extend the advantage to 3–0.
The Wildcats tacked on an insurance run in the ninth on a wild pitch.
Villanova’s pitching staff controlled the game throughout. Jack Chavez started and worked three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out three. Matthew Kahn followed with three hitless innings to earn the win, and JP Podgorski added two scoreless frames. Graham Moore recorded two outs in the ninth before Jeremiah Holder closed the game to secure the save.
Freitag led the offense, finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Michael Whooley added two hits, including a double, as Villanova totaled six hits on the night.
The Wildcats played clean defense behind their pitchers, committing no errors while holding North Florida to three hits.
Villanova remains in Florida and will open a three-game series against Florida A&M on Friday.
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