MERION STATION, Pa. – Collin Forgey and Brian O'Keefe notched two hits apiece but the Saint Joseph's baseball team ultimately fell to Villanova, 8-2, on Friday afternoon at Smithson Field.  The Hawks' home opener, the game was part of the first day of action at the 2014 Big 5 Baseball Bash.

Saint Joseph's (3-4) struck first, scoring a run in the second inning without notching a hit.  Two batters after Tommy Cunningham and John Brue started the inning with consecutive walks, Taylor Boyd reached via a fielder's choice.  Brue was retired at second, but the throw from Villanova's Todd Czinege was high, allowing Cunningham to score the game's first run.

Villanova (3-9) answered in the in the fourth, as Max Beermann hit a home run and Brian Trabulsi added a two-out, two-run single to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead.

The Hawks scratched out a run in the sixth, cutting the deficit to one after Forgey led off the inning with a single and eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Brue, but the Wildcats batted around in the seventh and scored five two-out runs to put the game effectively out of reach.

In the ninth, Chris Hueth singled to left, extending his on-base streak to 20 consecutive games dating back to last season.

Josh Harris pitched into the sixth for Villanova to earn his first win of the season, while Joe Manion took the loss in relief for SJU.  Matt Meurer tossed four shutout innings to notch his second save of the season for VU.

The Big 5 Baseball Bash will continue on Saturday, as Saint Joseph's hosts Niagara at 10:45 a.m., while Villanova takes on Temple at 2:45 p.m.