SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Dayton baseball team fell to USC Upstate in its season opener by a score of 10-8, despite a valiant comeback effort by the Flyers in the final three innings.

Junior Pat Meehan opened the game with a leadoff home run to give Dayton a 1-0 lead in the first, but USC Upstate took advantage of some early walks in the bottom half of the opening frame to take a 4-1 lead by the end of the first inning. The Spartans offense scattered nine hits across the first 4.2 innings of play and used six walks in that time frame to build up a 10-2 lead by the end of the fifth inning.

After a scoreless sixth inning, the Flyers started their furious rally in the final three innings, beginning with one run in the seventh off a Takahiro Yamada ground out and then three more runs in the eighth to draw the score to 10-6 heading into the ninth. Dayton came out in the ninth swinging and used four singles, a hit by pitch to close Upstate's lead down to 10-8 with the bases loaded and just one out. With Mitchell Garrity representing the game-leading run on first base, redshirt sophomore Brandon Smith struck out and sophomore Tate Hagan flew out to center field to put an end to the Flyers fiery comeback bid.

While the Dayton bats were busy getting the Flyers back in the game on the offensive end, sophomore R.J. Wagner put on a career performance on the mound to shut down USC Upstate in the final 3.1 innings. Wagner came into the game when the Flyers were trailing 10-2 in the bottom of the fifth and didn't allow any hits to the Spartans the rest of the way. Wagner also tied a career high with four strikeouts.

Dayton (0-1) will look to bounce back on Saturday at noon with a game against Evansville (1-0) at Wofford College. The Aces are coming off a 10-inning win over Fordham by a score of 9-8. The game will have a video stream that you can access HERE.

Top Performances:

2B Pat Meehan
Meehan not only gave the Flyers an early 1-0 lead with a home run in the leadoff spot, but he also had three other base hits, including a clutch single in the ninth inning that brought the score to 10-7 and kept the Dayton rally alive with just one out. The four hits tied a career high for Meehan.

RHP R.J. Wagner
In a game that saw Dayton use seven pitchers, Wagner brought efficiency and consistency to the mound for the Flyers. Wagner didn't yield a single hit to the Spartan batters and allowed the Dayton lineup get back into the game by keeping the Spartans from adding to their run total. 

CF Mitchell Garrity
Garrity had a team-best three RBI on the night, including two in the final two innings of play. He hit a line drive rope into right field that scored Pat Meehan from second base in the eighth inning and also drew a hit by pitch in the ninth with the bases loaded that brought the score to its eventual final mark, 10-8.