Brendan Hueth and James McConnon each had big days at the plate, both finishing 3-for-5 with Hueth driving in a run and McConnon pushing home a pair. Kadar Namey hit a three-run homer and pinch-hitter Brian Markoski hit a grand slam in the eighth inning to add insurance for the Hawks who now sit two games over .500 (6-4) in the Atlantic 10.
Matt Cuppari drove in three runs in the winning effort.
Each player in the Saint Joseph's starting lineup scored at least one run.
As for the Explorers, Tatem Levins drove in five runs via a pair of homers and Ben Faso chipped in with two hits.
Jordan DiValerio of Saint Joseph's collected the win, tossing seven innings while surrendering three runs on four hits. He walked three and struck out five.
The top seven teams in the final Atlantic 10 standings will participate in the Atlantic 10 postseason. Currently, the Hawks sit in fifth place while the Explorers (1-9) reside in 13th.
The two clubs resume their three-game set on Friday afternoon.
Villanova 5, Saint John's 1
Pat O'Neill hit his first homer at the college level in the seventh inning to put the Wildcats on the board and Nick Lorusso tossed six scoreless innings to lead Villanova to an impressive road win in Queens.
O'Neill's blast was a three-run shot, breaking a scoreless tie.
Lorusso also helped with the bat, collecting a double on the afternoon while driving in a run.
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