PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. – The Villanova baseball team dropped its BIG EAST opener to Butler, 8-6, in the first game of a three-game series on Thursday, April 2, at Villanova Ballpark.

Butler wasted no time getting on the board. After loading the bases with a walk, a single and a hit-by-pitch, Connor Sackett delivered a two-run single to right field in the top of the first to give the Bulldogs an early lead.

The Bulldogs broke the game open in the second inning, plating five runs. Will White led off the frame with a solo home run, and Gavin Gilmore followed later with an RBI single. Sackett struck again with a bases-clearing double, extending Butler's advantage to 7-0.

Villanova responded in the bottom of the third with three runs to cut into the deficit. Redshirt sophomore Mark Gialluisi put the Wildcats on the board with a solo home run—his first of the season. Later in the inning, sophomore Brayden Leonard drove in two runs with a sharp liner past the third baseman, trimming the lead to 7-3.

Butler answered in the fourth, as Gilmore added a solo home run to push the lead back to five.

Gialluisi continued his strong day at the plate in the eighth, lining an RBI single to center field to make it 8-4.

The Wildcats mounted a late rally in the ninth. Senior Michael Whooley launched a two-run home run with Leonard on base, bringing Villanova within two. Back-to-back two-out hits from Larry Hotaling and Gialluisi kept the inning alive, but the Wildcats were unable to complete the comeback, falling 8-6.

Up Next: Villanova continues its conference series against Butler on Thursday, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m.