CINCINNATI, Ohio – The Villanova baseball team dropped the opening game of its three-game BIG EAST series against Xavier, falling 8-4 on Friday afternoon at Hayden Field.

Villanova struck first in the top of the opening inning, generating early traffic on the bases. Austin Lemon reached on an error before Michael Whooley and Brayden Leonard followed with singles. Lemon later came around to score on a fielder's choice by John Freitag, giving the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.

Xavier answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning, scoring two runs on four hits. After a one-out double, the Musketeers took the lead with a two-run home run to right field.

The Musketeers extended their advantage in the second inning, adding two more runs. With two outs and runners on, back-to-back singles plated both runs to push the lead to 4-1.

After a scoreless third inning, Xavier added to its lead in the fourth. A leadoff home run made it 5-1, and a Villanova error later in the inning allowed another run to score, extending the margin to five.

Xavier held a 6-1 lead through five innings.

In the top of the seventh, Villanova mounted its strongest offensive push of the game. Following a Xavier solo home run earlier in the inning, the Wildcats responded with three runs. Lemon delivered an RBI double down the left field line, while Larry Hotaling and Jack Roventini worked walks to reach base. Roventini later scored on a passed ball, and Leonard added an RBI on a fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 7-4.

Xavier quickly answered in the bottom half of the seventh, capitalizing on a single and two walks before scoring on a passed ball to restore a four-run lead.

The Musketeers led 8-4 after seven innings, and that score would hold as the final. Villanova was unable to rally in the final two frames, managing just two hits.

Up Next: Villanova will continue the series against Xavier on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 2:05 p.m.