Box Score

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - Junior shortstop Eric Lowe (Arlington Heights, Ill.) continued his assault on conference pitching with two more hits but Villanova (18-24, 4-7 BIG EAST) managed just a single run in the first inning and lost 4-1 to Butler (18-26, 5-6 BIG EAST) in the second game of a three-game series at Bulldog Park on Saturday afternoon. After taking an early lead in the top of the first inning, the Wildcats were unable to capitalize on any of their scoring chances the rest of the way.

Lowe went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt to raise his average in BIG EAST games to .382. He still has not struck out in 44 plate appearances versus league pitchers and he also raised his on-base percentage in conference games to a BIG EAST-best .512 mark. Lowe is now batting .319 with a .413 on-base percentage overall this season. He has reached base safely in 16 of his last 17 plate appearances.

Junior first baseman Max Beermann (Tampa, Fla.) drove in the only Villanova run of the day with a two-out double down the right field line in the top of the first inning. The host Bulldogs answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first and never relinquished their lead. Butler fortified its lead with single runs in the fifth and seventh innings, while dodging a potential comeback bid by the Wildcats in the top of the eighth.

After the Bulldogs came up with a two-out single to score a run in the bottom of the seventh inning and push the margin to 4-1, Villanova loaded the bases with one out in the top of the eighth to put the potential tying runs on base. Junior designated hitter Emmanuel Morris (Willowbrook, Ill.) led off with a walk and Lowe singled up the middle two batters later to chase Butler starting pitcher Peter Nyznyk (4-2, 3.79 ERA).

Sophomore second baseman Todd Czinege (Overland Park, Kan.) walked against reliever Danny Pobereyko and Beermann came to the plate with the bases loaded and one out. Beermann got down in the count 1-2 but then hit the ball hard, only to have his line drive directed right to the defense. Bulldogs first baseman Michael Fries snared Beermann's line drive and stepped on the first base bag for an unassisted double play to end the inning.

There were also opportunities for rallies in the fifth and sixth innings as the Wildcats continued to do a good job of getting runners on base. Morris singled with one out in the fifth inning with the score still 2-1 but was caught stealing when he broke for second on a pickoff move to first. Butler added a run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the margin to 3-1, but Lowe singled to start the top of the sixth inning. Nyznyk then induced a double play ball from Czinege to thwart a scoring opportunity in that frame.

Freshman starting pitcher Ryan Doty (Rye, N.Y.) pitched effectively into the seventh inning. He wound up being charged with seven hits and four runs (two earned) in 6 2/3 innings, while walking three and striking out two. The go-ahead run that the Bulldogs scored in the bottom of the first inning was an unearned tally, as was the third run against him in the bottom of the fifth inning. The final run scored against Doty (2-6, 4.59 ERA) came after he left the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

The first five Butler batters of the game all reached base. Austin Miller walked to open the bottom of the first inning and Tyler Houston was safe at first when an error was committed on his sacrifice bunt towards third base. Ryan Wojciechowski bunted for a single to load the bases with nobody out and Chris Marras followed with a two-run single through the left side which gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead.

Wojciechowski was caught between second and third after the relay throw home and was eventually thrown out trying to get back to second base. Quincy Quintero followed with another single against Doty before Garrett Christman grounded into a double play to end the inning and minimize the damage. Miller reached on a fielding error to start the bottom of the fifth inning and eventually scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Doty retired the first two batters before allowing Houston's double to left. Senior reliever Max Almonte (Long Beach, N.Y.) inherited the runner and allowed an RBI single to Wojciechowski for what turned out to be the last run scored in the game.

Czinege and Morris were each on base twice for Villanova with a hit and a walk. Czinege tripled to right-center with two outs and nobody on in the third inning but was stranded on base.

Junior left fielder Adam Goss (Bellaire, Texas) walked on five pitches to open the game in the top of the first inning. He advanced to second on Lowe's sacrifice bunt, took third on Czinege's fly out to left and finally scored on Beermann's double.

The series finale is on Sunday at Noon.