Box Score
DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton baseball team opened up its series with La Salle on Friday with an 8-5 loss at the hands of the Explorers.

After a 47-minute delay before the game, action began at 1:45 p.m. ET. La Salle didn't take long to put runs on the board, scoring twice in the top of the first frame.

In the bottom of the first, the Flyers got a run back by loading the bases and senior Robby Sunderman scoring on a ground out.

The Explorers struck again in the second with a solo home run, making it a 3-1 ball game.

Neither team made a dent in the score until the bottom of the fifth when Dayton tied the game up at 3-3. Junior Alex Harris plated Sunderman with a sacrifice fly before the throw into the infield went past third base and allowed junior Sergio Plasencia to score the tying run, unearned.

Senior Ralph Alloco produced the go-ahead run in the sixth with an RBI single up the middle, scoring sophomore Aaron Huesman from third. That gave the Flyers their first lead of the contest, 4-3.

La Salle tied the game once again in the seventh with a single run.

The Flyers quickly responded though and took the lead back by scoring on a double play in the bottom of the seventh.

The Dayton defense held the Explorers in check until the 9^th when the visitors tied the game at 5-5. A bases-loaded triple then gave La Salle an 8-5 lead over Dayton with little time left in the contest.

That would be the final score as the Flyers were unable to make their comeback in the bottom of the ninth.

Starter Noah Buettgen (6-6) was saddled with the loss after giving up eight runs on 12 hits, despite recording a career-high 12 strikeouts and walking just one.

The Dayton offense recorded seven hits in the contest, including a 3-for-3 outing by Plasencia. Alloco and Harris provided the RBI.

The Flyers (20-26, 11-11 A-10) will face the Explorers again on Saturday with a 1 p.m. scheduled start time.