May 16, 2013
Box Score
Bethesda, Md. - Villanova hit three home runs and took a 5-0 lead after five innings en route to an 8-0 win over Georgetown in a BIG EAST baseball game at Shirley Povich Field Thursday night. It was the first game of a three-game series between the teams.
The Hoyas have lost eight-straight games and fall to 25-26 overall and 5-17 in the BIG EAST. It was the team's 10th-straight loss in league play. Villanova snapped an 11-game losing streak, improving to 12-40 overall and 3-19 in the BIG EAST.
Freshman starting pitcher Matt Smith (Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley) threw 5.0 innings, giving up five runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts.
Smith was solid through three innings, working out of a jam in the first after walking one and hitting a batter. He gave up a leadoff single in the second but was able to get out of the inning unscathed and then retired the side in order in the third.
In the fourth, Connor Jones hit a leadoff single and a walk to Steve Schrenk put runners on first and second before a two-run double from Max Beermann gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.
Leading 3-0 in the fifth, Villanova extended its lead to 5-0 on back-to-back home runs from Jones and Schrenk, respectively.
The Wildcats added three more runs - two in the seventh and one in the eighth - against senior reliever Thomas Polus (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean). Polus threw 4.0 innings, yielding three runs on five hits, with four walks and two strikeouts.
Villanova starter Stephen Ostapeck threw a complete game four-hitting, walking three and striking out five batters.
Junior first baseman Steve Anderson (Albany, N.Y./Guilderland) had two of Georgetown's hits, while senior second Danny Poplawski (Bellevue, Wash./Overlake) hit a double and freshman Nick Collins (Carthage, N.C./Union Pines) went 1-for-4.
The three-game series continues on Friday, May 17, with first pitch at Shirley Povich Field slated for 3 p.m. Prior to the game, Head Coach Pete Wilk and the baseball program will honor the team's 10 seniors, with a pregame ceremony recognizing the following players: • left fielder Paul Bello (Towaca, N.J./Delbarton)
• utility man Corbin Blakey (Alpharetta, Ga./Centennial)
• relief pitcher Neal Dennison (Houston, Texas/Lamar)
• relief pitcher James Heine (Chapel Hill, N.C./East Chapel Hill)
• center fielder Justin Leeson (Exton, Pa./West Chester)
• third baseman Trevor Matern (Santa Clarita, Calif./Hart)
• reserve infielder and pitcher Alex Pettee (New Canaan, Conn./St. Luke's)
• left-hander reliever Thomas Polus (Crown Point, Ind./Andrean)
• second baseman Danny Poplawski (Bellevue, Wash./Overlake) and
• reliever Charles Steinman (Rockville Centre, N.Y./Chaminade)
