CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The University of Dayton softball team split its games on the team's opening day of the 2018 season. Dayton downed Radford, 7-3, and dropped a close 6-5 contest to Charlotte in eight innings. Play at Charlotte's First Pitch Classic resumes tomorrow.
Dayton is now 1-1 on the season. Radford fell to 4-1 while Charlotte improved to 3-1.
SCORING BREAKDOWN
Game One: Dayton 7, Radford 3
Bottom First Inning
Dayton started the day strong as the first five batters in the lineup scored in the first inning. Sophomore Ellie Ziegler batted her first career triple to tally three RBI as the Flyers opened a 5-0 lead on the Highlanders.
Bottom Third Inning
UD tacked on two more runs in the third as junior Lisa Tassi and Ziegler recorded back-to-back bunts. Dayton carried a 7-0 advantage through five innings.
Top Sixth Inning
Junior pitcher Jessica Gilliam worked five innings of scoreless ball but Radford got their bats going in the sixth, cutting the Dayton lead to four, 7-3. That would prove to be the final score.
WP: Gilliam (1-0)
LP: Marvin (0-1)
Game Two: Charlotte 6, Dayton 5 (8)
Bottom Fourth Inning
Both teams were scoreless through the first three innings but Charlotte was able to plate two runs in the fourth on a 49ers single plus a Flyer error.
Top Fifth Inning
Dayton answered straight away with a three-spot in the fifth. With one out, the next three Flyer batters singled and all eventually scored as Dayton took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth.
Top Sixth Inning
Dayton pulled in front by two, 4-2, after senior Jaclyn Kweder singled in Ziegler.
Bottom Seventh Inning
Charlotte responded to Dayton's four unanswered runs by scoring two in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extras. The 49ers third baseman sent a triple to right center field, scoring both base runners and knotting the game at four runs apiece.
Eighth Inning
The Flyers' junior Kyle Davidson raced home on a throwing error by the Niners' shortstop in the top of the inning and Dayton was up again, 5-4. A UD error allowed for Charlotte's first run of the eighth to come across, with two outs and runners on first and third, a 49er singled in the winning scorer.
WP: Wiseman (2-1)
LP: Weaver (0-1)Â
Note: Senior left-handed pitcher Manda Cash, the starter in today's second game, recorded one strikeout against Radford in relief and 11 Ks against Charlotte, setting a new Dayton program record for career strikeouts: 366.
UP NEXT
Dayton is set to take on UNCW (1:30 p.m.) and Charlotte (4 p.m.) tomorrow in the second day of the Charlotte First Pitch Classic.
