Eric Villanova '06 went 4-for-5 and drove in two runs to lead Hamilton College to a 10-8 non-conference win against visiting Cazenovia College at Royce Field on March 29.
Villanova led a 17-hit Hamilton attack and six Continentals added two each. Jim Nolan '07 and Matt Hartnett '07 had two hits and two RBI apiece. Hartnett also doubled. John Porges '07 chipped in two hits and scored three runs. Pat McGarry '07 collected two hits, including a double. Pat Suarez '07 and Gideon Clark '09 picked up two hits apiece. Dan Hood '08 doubled before holding off Cazenovia in the eighth and ninth innings.
Starter Kevin Coppola '07 allowed three earned runs in 5.1 innings pitched and picked up his second win this season. Hood was credited with his first career save after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings of relief.
The Continentals (5-7 overall) trailed 3-0 and 4-3 before taking the lead for good with four runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Villanova's two-run single was the key hit in the inning. Hamilton added three runs in the sixth for a 10-4 advantage. Hartnett cracked a two-run double during the inning.
Cazenovia (1-5) rallied with two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth. The Wildcats put two runners on with one out in the ninth, but Hood induced a double play ground ball that ended the game.
The Continentals travel to Troy, N.Y., for a non-conference doubleheader against Rensselaer on Sunday, April 2, starting at noon. The twinbill was originally scheduled for April 1, but the threat of poor weather pushed the games back one day.
