COLUMBIA, S.C. – The University of Dayton baseball team allowed four runs in the eighth inning to drop Sunday's series finale at South Carolina 5-1 at Founders Park in Columbia.
 
The loss puts UD at 0-3 to start the season, dropping all three contests at South Carolina to open 2021.
 
Senior Cole Pletka kept the Flyers in the game, allowing just one run in six innings on the mound, but the Dayton offense managed just three hits and struck out 17 times in the contest. Senior Jared Howell drove in the lone run for UD, finishing the day 1-4 overall at the plate.
 
On the Mound
Pletka got the ball and found a way to keep South Carolina at bay after the Gamecocks put up a combined 24 runs in the first two games against Dayton. The senior worked around a couple of bases-loaded situations and allowed his only run of the game on a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
 
Jake Silverstein relieved Pletka after he threw 112 pitches and allowed one hit in two-thirds of an inning on the mound without allowing an earned run. In his season debut Silverstein retired the first two hitters before allowing a two-out double and giving way to senior Jonathan Brus. Brus faced just one hitter, allowing a base hit before being replaced by senior Andrew Zapka. Zapka walked the first batter he faced to load the bases before striking out the next hitter to end the frame.
 
Things did not go as smoothly in the eighth inning and after a walk followed by a sacrifice bunt, junior Bryce Hellgeth entered the game on the mound. He allowed a double that drove in the go-ahead run and a walk with a strikeout sandwiched in between. Junior Dylan Keller entered the game to pitch after that and allowed a walk and a three-run double before senior Tyler Jones was put in. Jones retired the only batter he faced to end the eighth inning.
 
Scoring Plays
Bottom 3: (1-0 Gamecocks)
Pletka retired the first batter of the inning before allowing a single followed by back-to-back walks. David Mendham for South Carolina hit a sacrifice fly to right field to put Dayton at a 1-0 deficit.
 
Top 4: (1-1 Tie)
Graduate student Alex Brickman drew a one-out walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Graduate student Chris Cabrera followed with a four-pitch walk and junior Ben Blackwell went from an 0-2 count to walk himself to load the bases. After a pitching change for South Carolina Howell drove in a run with a single to left field, scoring Brickman and tying the game.
 
Bottom 8: (5-1 Gamecocks)
The Gamecocks led off the inning with a walk. A sacrifice bunt advanced the runner to second before a double down the right field line gave South Carolina the lead. Hellgeth struck out the next hitter before walking Noah Myers to put runners on first and second. Keller then walked Wes Clarke to load the bases before Mendham drove in three more on a double to left field to give the game its final score of 5-1.
 
Up Next:
The Flyers will head to Buies Creek, N.C. to take on Campbell in a three-game series starting next Friday, Feb. 26. Dayton will play a game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday with the first contest scheduled to start at 5 p.m.