INDIANAPOLIS – The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Butler Bulldogs in the first game of the weekend series by the final score of 13-9. The Friday afternoon battle featured 31 total hits with the Bulldogs recording 17 in the setback. Stephen Turzai was credited with the win while Clay Holzworth took the loss.
 
Each team used five pitchers on Friday, but the story in this outcome was all about the offense. Jack O'Reilly put the Wildcats on the scoreboard first with a lead-off home run in the fourth inning. Weill Reiner would add a two-run homer in the frame to put the visitors out in front 4-0.
 
Butler cut into the deficit with a single score in the fifth inning. Joey Urban singled to center to score Keegan Connors and that got the Butler offense moving in the right direction.
 
Nova added two runs in the top of the sixth, but the Bulldogs would take the lead with a seven-run bottom half of the inning. Ryan O'Halloran, Garret Gray and Kyle Van Liere all had RBI singles for BU and Carter Dorighi would deliver a big blow with a base clearing, three RBI triple down the left field line.
 
Dorighi gave BU a 7-6 lead and Urban would add a sac fly to give the home team a two-run cushion heading to the seventh.
 
Villanova fought back and won the game in crunch time. They scored four runs in the seventh, two in the eighth and had one more in the ninth to collect their seventh win of 2023. Sal Fusco impacted the action for Nova by throwing the final 2.1 innings. By doing so, he earned his first save of the season.
 
The Wildcats continued to put their lead-off man on base throughout the contest. Craig Larsen and Reiner each finished the game with three RBI. Carter Dorighi and Joey Urban also had three RBI each for BU.
 
With rain in the forecast for Sunday, these two teams will now play a doubleheader on Saturday. Action starts at Noon.