DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team fell 5-1 on Friday's series opener against North Dakota State.
 
The Flyers got a dominant start on the mound from senior Hunter Wolfe but could not pull out the victory. Wolfe went six innings allowing just one run on five hits and striking out a season-high 13 batters. That total is one off of the southpaw's career high he set against Bryant last season. Offensively juniors Benjamin Blackwell and Marcos Pujols each picked up two hits in the contest, while junior Jay Curtis drove in the team's lone run in the second inning.
 
ON THE MOUND
Wolfe allowed a pair of hits in the first inning that scored a run for North Dakota State but was in control from that point on. The senior walked just one hitter and picked up his second-straight quality start in the effort.
 
Graduate student Tyler Jones relieved Wolfe in the seventh, going two-thirds of an inning allowing two runs on two hits and a walk while picking  up a strikeout. Senior Jonathan Brus entered for Jones, going 1.1 innings without allowing a hit and compiling two strikeouts over the span. Junior Bryce Hellgeth entered in the ninth, allowing two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Freshman Austin Brush faced two hitters before sophomore Nick Wissman made his first appearance of 2021, getting the final out of the ninth for Dayton.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (1-0 Bison)
NDSU led off the game with a base hit that just got past Pujols at first. Wolfe struck the next two batters out before a stolen base advanced the runner into scoring position and a single to left field brought home the first run of the game, and the only run Wolfe would allow.
 
Bottom 2: (1-1 Tie)
Blackwell sent a one-out single into center field and proceeded to steal second. Curtis lined a ball down the third base line for an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Top 7: (3-1 Bison)
Jones retired the first two hitters of the inning before a walk and double down the left field line gave North Dakota State the lead back. An RBI single made it 3-1 before Brus came in and got a fielder's choice to end the inning.
 
Top 9: (5-1 Bison)
Hellgeth hit the first batter of the inning before a wild pitch and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to third. The junior got the second out of the inning on a strikeout before another wild pitch made it 4-1. A walk was followed by Brush entering the game. Another stolen base and wild pitch was followed by a single up the middle to give the game its final score.
 
UP NEXT:
The Flyers will return for the second game in the series on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Woerner Field.