Xavier Sets All-Time Single Season Mark for Homers, Falls to Villanova in Game Two of Final Weekend Series

Friday, May 18

Hayden Field

2 p.m.

Xavier University

19-35, 0

Villanova

9-38, 0

Villanova

Xavier

Xavier Sets All-Time Single Season Mark for Homers, Falls to Villanova in Game Two of Final Weekend Series

05.18.18 | Baseball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Season Stats (PDF)

By: Brendan Bergen, Xavier Athletic Communications

CINCINNATI - Xavier bashed four home runs, breaking the school's all-time record for homers in a single season, but fell 13-10 in extra innings at Hayden Field on Friday.

Xavier dropped to 19-35 (6-11 BIG EAST) with the loss, while Villanova picked up its first win in league play and improved to 9-38 (1-16 BIG EAST).

XU is now up to 65 homers as a team on the year, breaking the all-time mark of 64 set in 1997. In the last two years, the Musketeers have hit 126 homers -- the most in successive seasons in program history.

UP NEXT

• Xavier wraps up the series and the regular season with an 11 a.m. first pitch scheduled against Villanova on Saturday afternoon.

XU AT THE PLATE

• XU bashed four homers and collected 10 hits to reach double digits in scoring for the third time this week. The Musketeers have scored now 47 runs in three games this week.
• Xavier now has a homer in 18 of its last 24 games and the Musketeers are up to 64 homers as a team this season, which matches the program record from 1997. XU's 124 homers over the last two years are the most in successive seasons in program history.
• Chris Givin was 2-for-6 with a pair of runs scored and two RBI from the leadoff spot, including his fourth homer of the season.
• In his last five games, Givin is batting .556 (15-for-27) with eight runs scored, seven RBI and a homer. The stretch has helped him raise his team-leading batting average to .347.
• Conor Grammes was 1-for-5 with a solo homer, his 10th of the season.
• Matt Warkentin had a big night, going 2-for-4 with a two-run homer and four runs batted in. He now has 14 longballs on the season, which ranks tied for sixth in a single season.
• Nate Soria homered for the third straight game, a solo shot in the fourth, giving him a career-best eight homers on the year and 20 in his Xavier career. Soria finished the game 1-for-5 with a pair of runs scored to go with a walk and an RBI.
• Natale Monastra (1-for-5, 2 R), Joe Gellenbeck (1-for-5, R, RBI), Ryan Fournier (1-for-3, BB) and Andrew Sexton (1-for-2) also added hits for XU.

XU ON THE MOUND

• Senior Damien Richard got the start and lasted just two innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out one.
• Junior Matt Kent came on in relief, tossing 5.1 innings and striking out five while allowing five earned runs.
• Chris Givin entered in the eighth and tossed two strong innings before running into trouble in the 11th inning. The junior finished with four runs allowed and two strikeouts in 3.1 innings.
• Sean Douaire came on in the 11th to record the final out on a strikeout.

HOW XU SCORED

FIRST INNING | Chris Givin led off with a single through the left side, going to second on a wild pitch before a Nate Soria walk put two on for XU. With one out, Natale Monastra was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Joe Gellenbeck followed with an RBI ground out before a two-run single by Matt Warkentin gave the Musketeers a 3-1 edge.
THIRD INNING | Conor Grammes launched a one out solo homer to deep left field, which bounced across Victory Parkway to make it a 4-4 game. Natale Monastra then singled up the middle, going to second on a ground out by Joe Gellenbeck and advancing again on a wild pitch. After a Matt Warkentin walk, another wild pitch brough Monastra around to give XU a 5-4 lead.
FOURTH INNING | With two outs, Nate Soria launched a solo homer to left for his third straight game with a homer.
SEVENTH INNING | After the first two Musketeers were retired, Joe Gellenbeck singled up the middle and Matt Warkentin smacked a two-run homer to dead center to give XU the lead back at 8-7.
EIGHTH INNING | Andrew Sexton reached on an infield single to second base to start the inning before a fielder's choice play erased the lead runner. With Ryan Altenberger on first, Chris Givin crushed a ball to deep left field for a two-run homer to make it a 10-9 Xavier lead.