DAYTON, Ohio – The University of Dayton baseball team came out on top in a 23-hit slugfest between the Flyers and Xavier Musketeers Tuesday.


Dayton quickly responded with a trio of runs in the bottom of the first, taking a 3-0 lead. Sophomore Robbie Doring started things off with an RBI single to left before senior A.J. Ryan ripped an RBI double to right. Junior Aaron Huesman and sophomore Matt Poland then plated the third and fourth runs with back-to-back RBI ground outs.

The Musketeers got a run back in the third with an RBI ground out of their own to second, that made it a 4-2 contest. An RBI single to left closed the gap to one run.

Ryan added his second RBI of the game in the bottom of the third with a solo home run to right-center, putting Dayton head 5-3. In the fourth, senior Greg Rhude hit a solo home run himself to give the Flyers a three-run lead. The home run was Ryan's third of the season and Rhude's second.

In the bottom of the fifth, Ryan drove in his third run of the game with an RBI single to center, extending Dayton's lead to 7-3.

The seventh saw another home run by Ryan, his second of the game and fourth of the season, to put the Flyers well ahead, 8-3.

Xavier got a pair of runs back in the eighth with a sacrifice fly and a single to center, but Dayton maintained the lead.

The four-run first inning proved to be the difference in the game as the Flyers held on for the 8-5 win over the Musketeers.

As a team, UD collected 11 hits while Xavier racked up 12. Ryan had a monstrous day with a 4-for-5 outing, two home runs, four RBI, and three runs scored. Plasencia and Doring added multi-hit games as well. Rhude chipped in the other home run.

The Flyers didn't commit a single error in the contest.

Starter Mason Kutruff (W, 4-0) pitched five strong innings, allowing just three runs on seven hits while striking out three. Relievers Ben Polansky and Tyson Schnitkey threw shutout efforts as well. Redshirt freshman Jason Johnson (S, 1) pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

The Flyers (8-18) will return to Atlantic 10 action this weekend when they host VCU for a three-game series.