DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team fell in two games against Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Flyers fell in a close 5-4 contest in game one before dropping the seven-inning game two 13-3.
 
Junior Benjamin Blackwell had multiple hits in both games against the Chippewas, raising his season batting average to .339. Graduate student Alex Brickman and senior Mariano Ricciardi each picked up two RBIs over the day offensively for Dayton.
 
GAME ONE
ON THE MOUND
Junior Dylan Keller drew the start for the Flyers, lasting 2.1 innings on the mound allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out three. Senior R.J. Wagner entered in relief allowing just one hit in his 1.2 innings of work, with all five of his recorded outs coming via the strikeout.
 
Sophomore Anthony Hattrup followed going three innings giving up just two hits and also striking out five before being spelled by senior Jonathan Brus, who walked the only batter he faced. Junior Bryce Hellgeth finished the game for the Flyers going two innings, giving up one run on two hits while striking out four.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (2-0 Chippewas)
The Chippewas led off the game with three straight singles, which netted one run. After a wild pitch from Keller put a runner in scoring position, another single to center field made the game 2-0 Central Michigan.
 
Top 3: (4-0 Chippewas)
CMU led off the third with a single and a stolen base. A ground out to Keller advanced the runner to third and a single up the middle made it 3-0. Another stolen base put a runner in scoring position again and the only hit that Wagner would give up scored the runner from second and gave Central Michigan the fourth run of the game.
 
Bottom 4: (4-1 Chippewas)
Brickman's third home run of the season put Dayton on the board and made the game 4-1 CMU.
 
Bottom 6: (4-2 Chippewas)
Blackwell hit a double to left center field with one out and stole third before Brickman brought home his second RBI of the game with a single through the right side of the infield to cut the lead to two.
 
Top 9: (5-2 Chippewas)
Central Michigan got a leadoff hit by pitch before a sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second. A single to right field brought home CMU's final run of the game to make it 5-2.
 
Bottom 9: (5-4 Chippewas)
Senior Riley Tirotta singled to lead off the inning and senior Mitchell Garrity doubled to left field to put two runners in scoring position. A walk by senior Michael Cleary loaded the bases and two batters later Ricciardi hit a single up the middle scoring two runs. Blackwell lined into a double play on the next play to end the game.
 
GAME TWO
ON THE MOUND
Graduate student Ben Olson got the ball in game two, lasting three innings allowing four runs, one earned, on three hits striking out two. He was relieved by junior Jake Silverstein who went the next two-thirds of an inning allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit and a walk. Graduate student Tyler Jones entered next getting the final out of the inning allowing just one hit and picking up a strikeout.
 
Junior Thomas Braybrooks and freshman Austin Brush entered next facing four batters before freshman Parker Bard entered. Bard went two innings giving up two runs on three hits while picking up five strikeouts. Redshirt sophomore Nick Maue finished the game on the mound, pitching the seventh, allowing one unearned run on one hit while striking out one.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 2: (2-0 Chippewas)
Central Michigan led off the inning with a single up the middle before a walk put the runner on second. Another base hit followed by an error brought the first run home and put runners on second and third with one out. A groundout to Blackwell brought home the second run of the inning.
 
Bottom 3: (2-1 Chippewas)
Ricciardi hit a two-out double to left center field and was followed by a base hit by Blackwell to make it a 2-1 game.
 
Top 4: (6-1 Chippewas)
An error followed by a base hit put two on when Silverstein entered. A walk followed by a single brought the first run home making it 3-1. A strikeout was followed by a sacrifice fly to make it 4-1 when Jones was brought in. A walk was followed by a single to left field, bringing home two more runs and making it a five-run deficit for Dayton.
 
Bottom 4: (6-2 Chippewas)
Brickman reached on an error with one out and after Tirotta replaced him on a fielder's choice, graduate student Eddie Pursinger hit one off the left field fence, scoring Tirotta and making it a four-run game.
 
Top 5: (12-2 Chippewas)
Braybrooks and Brush walked two and hit two batters to allow the first run of the inning to score. Bard entered and gave up a single to left field bringing two more runs home and a double made it 10-2 CMU. After a strikeout, another two-run single made it 12-2 Chippewas.
 
Bottom 6: (12-3 Chippewas)
Blackwell led off the inning with a double before junior Marcos Pujols brought him home with a double of his own for the third UD run of the game.
 
Top 7: (13-3 Chippewas)
A leadoff walk was followed by a groundout to Tirotta at third to put the runner in scoring position. A wild pitch moved the runner to third and an error brought the final run home and gave the game it's final score.
 
UP NEXT
Dayton will finish the series with Central Michigan on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Woerner Field.