The University of Dayton baseball team overcame a three-run deficit in the ninth inning to take a 6-5 win over USC Upstate on Friday night. The win improves Dayton's record to 6-11 this season, while USC Upstate drops to 11-11-1.

KEY MOMENT
Dayton entered the ninth trailing 5-2 and Brandon Smith struck out to open the inning, but Jeff Steuck followed Smith as a pinch hitter for Riley Tirotta and reached on a hit-by-pitch to give the Flyers their first base runner of the inning and spark the rally. Takahiro Yamada followed with a single to make it first and third for Connor Echols with one out. Echols delivered with a two-run triple off the wall in right-center field to bring the Dayton deficit down to just one. Michael Cleary followed with a bunt single on a safety squeeze to score Echols and tie up the game at five runs apiece. Bailey Montoya continued the Dayton rally with a single down the right field line to advance Cleary to third. Brantley Johnson drove home Cleary with a high-chopping ground ball to second base.
Josh Nixon entered the game on the mound for Dayton in the bottom of the ninth and closed out the game by setting down USC Upstate in order with a 1-2-3 inning to earn his second save of the season.

SCORING SUMMARY
Bottom 3rd:
Andres Kim scored from third off a Toran Shahidi groundout to first base to put the first run of the day on the board. Russel Schwertfeger added two more runs with a double into right field with two outs. USC Upstate 3, Dayton 0
Bottom 6th:
Charlie Carpenter hit a single into right center to score Andres Kim and extend USC Upstate's lead to four. USC Upstate 4, Dayton 0
Top 8th:
Pat Meehan cut the Spartan lead in half by plating Connor Echols and Brian Wood with an RBI single into the right-center gap. USC Upstate 4, Dayton 2
Bottom 8th:
With the bases loaded and two outs, Kyle Gensler hit an infield single to shortstop to add an insurance run in the eighth for USC Upstate. USC Upstate 5, Dayton 2
Top 9th:
Connor Echols hit a two-run triple off the wall in right-center field that scored Connor Wilson and Takahiro Yamada to bring the Dayton deficit down to just one. Michael Cleary followed with a bunt single on a safety squeeze to score Echols and tie up the game at five runs apiece. Bailey Montoya continued the Dayton rally with a single down the right field line to advance Cleary to third. Brantley Johnson drove home Cleary with a high-chopping ground ball to second base. Dayton 6, USC Upstate 5

KEY STATS

• Connor Echols and Pat Meehan both had two RBIs for the Flyers on the night.
• Meehan and Echols have now driven in at least one run in four and three consecutive games, respectively.
• Michael Cleary's game-tying bunt single in the ninth inning was his first career RBI.
• Brian Wood made his first start of the season in tonight's game.
• Jonathan Brus came in during the bottom of the eighth with the bases loaded and kept USC Upstate from adding more than one insurance run to pick up his first career win.
• Josh Nixon came in during the ninth inning and retired the Spartans in order for his second save of the season.
• RJ Wagner proved to be a crucial bridge from Brandon Smith to Brus and Nixon in the ninth. Wagner relieved Smith and pitched 4.1 innings, allowing just two runs and three hits.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Post-game interviews with Connor Echols and head coach Jayson King on Dayton's big comeback victory:
 





UP NEXT
Dayton will play USC Upstate for game two of the series tomorrow at 2 p.m.