DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team got a walkoff home run from senior
Riley Tirotta in the bottom of the ninth to take Friday's contest against Central Michigan 3-1.
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Tirotta sent the 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to give the Flyers the victory. The two-run home run is the third home run of the season for Tirotta, who went 2-4 on the afternoon. Dayton also got another great performance from senior
Hunter Wolfe, who went seven scoreless innings for UD, allowing just three hits and striking out 10 Chippewas.
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It's the second time this season Dayton has won on a walkoff, with the other coming on March 7 against Oakland. The win improves the Flyers record to 4-11 in 2021.
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ON THE MOUND
Wolfe dominated Central Michigan's offense, with his three hits marking the lowest number Wolfe has allowed in 2021. It was the lefty's second-straight start with 10 or more strikeouts and the seventh time in his Dayton career that he has posted double-digit strikeouts.
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Senior
Andrew Zapka entered the game for the Flyers in the eighth, allowing one unearned run in his one-third of an inning on the mound. He was relieved by senior
Jonathan Brus who finished the eighth without allowing a run.
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Graduate student
Justin Longbrake earned the win, pitching a scoreless ninth inning for Dayton, striking out two without allowing a baserunner.
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SCORING PLAYS
Bottom 5: (1-0 Flyers)
Junior
Jake Silverstein reached on an error with one out in the fifth and stole second to get into scoring position. Senior
Mariano Ricciardi sent a two-out groundball to the shortstop, who failed to field the ball cleanly and threw the ball past the CMU third baseman allowing Silverstein to give the Flyers the lead.
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Top 8: (1-1 Tie)
A one-out dropped third strike put a runner on first and a double off of Zapka put runners on second and third with one out. A wild pitch from Brus brought the run home from third, but back-to-back strikeouts from Brus kept the score tied.
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Bottom 9: (3-1 Flyers)
A leadoff walk from graduate student
Alex Brickman brought pinch runner freshman
Anthony Steinhardt into the game. Graduate student
Eddie Pursinger advanced him to second with a sacrifice bunt to bring up Tirotta, who hit his 11
th career home run to walk it off for the Flyers on Friday.
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UP NEXT:
The Flyers will return for a doubleheader on Saturday. The first game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at Woerner Field.
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