A six-run sixth inning and a dominating performance from Karli Ricketts in the circle gave the Bulldogs an 8-1 win over top-seeded DePaul in Thursday's BIG EAST Tournament opener.

The double-elimination tournament is being contested in Storrs, Conn. With the win, Butler advances to play Friday and will meet the winner of the UConn-Villanova match-up that is being played later Thursday.

Ricketts struck out five in her complete-game outing. She allowed only four hits and two walks, settling down after surrendering a run to DePaul in the bottom of the first. Ricketts was able to pitch out of jams in both the second and third innings, stranding two runners on base in each frame. That left the score 1-1 after three innings, allowing the Butler bats to come to life.

Ricketts gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead with blast over the right-center field wall in the top of the fourth. Her home run chased DePaul starter Natalie Halvorson, who had retired 10 of the 12 batters she faced. However, the two who weren't retired were able to trot around the bases with solo home runs.

The game's two catchers accounted for the first two runs of the contest, trading solo shots. DePaul's Jessica Cothern gave DePaul a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning before the Bulldogs' Christina Candotti tied the score with a home run of her own in the top of the second inning.

The Bulldogs went smallball in search of an insurance run to start the top of the sixth. Before the third out, the Bulldogs had put a six-spot on the leaderboard. An error and a hit by pitch put runners on first and second with no outs. Ricketts, who had homered earlier in the game, then bunted them over. Coach Scott Hall then put back-to-back suicide squeezes in motion with his clean-up hitter Mackenzie Griman as well as Candotti, who had also homered earlier in the game. Both squeezes were successful, which pushed the lead to 4-1. Madi Christiansen then stepped up and throttled one inside the right field foulpole for a three-run home run. Butler pushed across one more run before it was all said and done, ultimately taking an 8-1 lead.

The home runs for Candotti and Christiansen were each their first of 2021, respectively.

Eight of Butler's nine starters contributed hits as Butler ended with 10 on the afternoon. Eight different Bulldogs scored runs.

Butler now advances to Friday's noon contest, and will face either Villanova or UConn.