BRONX, N.Y. – The fifth-seeded University of Dayton softball team run-ruled No. 6 La Salle, 9-1 (5), Wednesday night in the elimination game on the first day of the 2014 Atlantic 10 Championship. The win is the Flyers' first in A-10 tournament play since defeating Temple during the 2000 championship and the second win in program history. Dayton advances to play the lowest remaining seed tomorrow at 5 p.m.

Senior Jordan Jennings, Junior Tiffany Ricks and freshman Gabrielle Snyder each knocked out a home run in the team's second game of the day. Snyder and senior Dana Trotta were both a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate as Dayton tallied 13 hits to La Salle's two.

Dayton (26-28) got its first run on the board in the second inning as Snyder led off with a solo shot over the right center fence to get the scoring going. Trotta was on third when sophomore Kennedy Haynes took a base on balls and senior Rachel Archer reached first on an Explorer error, plating Trotta. Archer and Haynes were on the bags when senior Kasi Vazquez doubled them both in to stretch the Dayton lead to 4-0.

With runners on first and second in the bottom of the third, Jennings sent a one-out, three-run homer over the left center fence and after three the Flyers were ahead, 7-0.

Ricks opened the fourth inning with a lead-off long ball over the center field wall and Trotta singled in senior Alysha Isaacson from third to set the score at 9-0 in favor of the Flyers. La Salle (18-24) was able to bring a single run across in the top of the fifth as Danielle Cullen recorded a two-out home run for the Explorers' only score of the game. Leading by eight or more runs after five innings, Dayton claimed the 9-1 win over La Salle to stay alive in the championship.

Junior Kayla English (16-13) earned the complete-game win for the Flyers, recording three strikeouts in the game which sets her career K's total at 436, a new program record. She walked one and gave up one run on two hits.

Mary Cate Scott (7-13) was charged with the loss for the Explorers after working 2.2 innings. She struck out four batters while walking two and gave up four earned runs on nine hits. Alicia Aughton faced two batters and Val Buehler worked 1.1 innings with one strikeout and gave up three earned runs on four hits.

The Flyers return to action tomorrow for the 5 p.m. game and will face off against the lowest remaining seed.