Appalachian State Box | Gardner-Webb Box
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The University of Dayton Flyers were 1-1 on the first day of the Hughes Bros. Tires Seahawk Classic, hosted by the UNCW Seahawks. Dayton (2-4) beat Gardner-Webb 4-3 and lost to Appalachian State 11-8.
Freshman left-handed pitcher Alysha Isaacson earned her first win of the season. Isaacson pitched 3.1 innings of relief against Gardner-Webb to collect her first win of the season.
Isaacson came in under pressure in the fourth inning against Gardner-Webb. She was able to work the Flyers out of a jam, making her one strikeout on the day count. Isaacson fanned McKenzie Morenus with two outs and the bases loaded to retire the side.
“Alysha did a great job coming in to a bases-loaded, two-out situation,” Dayton Head Coach Cara LaPlaca said. “Defensively she made key stops up the middle and overall she was solid.”
Senior Emily Stegeman hit .500 on Friday. Stegeman had two RBI and hit her first home run of the season. She also had an RBI-double against Appalachian State. Junior Lauren Nacke hit a two-run home run against Gardner-Webb in the sixth inning. The home run proved to be the decider in the tightly contested game. She finished the game against GWU with three RBI.
“We were pleased with Emily. She was able to produce some offense for us today,” LaPlaca said. “Nacke had a great offensive game against Gardner-Webb. We were definitely happy to see our bats come alive.”
Sophomore Kathleen Maloof hit her second double of the season. Maloof had four RBI on Friday, three of which came against ASU.
Sophomore pitcher Amanda Daly had three strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work against Gardner-Webb. Daly also had two earned runs against her. Junior pitcher Sarah Wedel pitched 5.1 innings with three strikeouts and two earned runs against.
Dayton trailed 2-1 through the first three innings to Gardner-Webb, however, the Flyers picked up steam in the fifth on Maloof’s RBI. Nacke’s two-run homer in the top of the sixth gave UD the lead and the 4-3 win.
UD and Appalachian State were embroiled in a high-scoring affair during the first game. The Flyers took the early advantage until Appalachian State’s grand slam in the fourth inning to pull ahead 5-2.
Dayton responded in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs in a wild frame by ASU’s pitching staff. Stegeman opened the scoring with an RBI-double. Maloof followed with a base hit to score another run. The Flyers brought home three more runs on a walk and two wild pitches from Appalachian State, giving UD a 7-6 lead.
Dayton’s lead was short-lived as the Mountaineers countered with five runs of their own in the top of the sixth, in large part to a three-run home run by Michelle Lighton.
Maloof’s RBI double in the bottom of the sixth was not enough to spark Dayton’s bats back to life as the Flyers fell 11-8 to the Appalachian State.
Dayton returns to action on Saturday at 12:15 p.m. against the UNCW Seahawks. The Flyers will then be seeded based on the results from the first three games, and play at either 2:30 or 4:15 p.m. on Saturday. Live stats and recaps from this weekend’s action will be available at DaytonFlyers.com.
