RICHMOND, Ky. – The University of Dayton baseball team hit six home runs on its way to a 20-13 victory over Eastern Kentucky in Richmond, Ky. on Wednesday night.
 
The Flyers improve to 5-14 with the win and posted the team's highest run total since Feb. 25, 2017 when they fell to USC Upstate 21-20. Dayton got home runs from graduate student Alex Brickman, graduate student Eddie Pursinger, senior Mitchell Garrity, senior Michael Cleary, senior Mariano Ricciardi, and junior Marcos Pujols.
 
Every starter on offense scored at least one run, and seven hat at least one RBI in the offensive explosion. Garrity led the team driving in four runs and Ricciardi reached base five times, leading the team with three hits.
 
 
ON THE MOUND
Freshman Eli Majick made his first career start for the Flyers, getting the first out of the game, but also allowing six runs, five earned on four hits. He was relieved by senior Jared Howell, who would go the next 1.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on one hit and three walks.
 
Graduate student Tyler Jones would come in in the second inning, getting out of a bases loaded jam and allowing just one unearned run over 1.1 innings on the mound. Jones allowed one hit and struck out one. Junior Bryce Hellgeth would take the Flyers through the next three innings, allowing two runs and striking out five Colonels.
 
Senior Jonathan Brus entered in the seventh inning for UD and pitched two hitless innings for the Flyers, striking out three in two scoreless frames. Junior Dylan Keller finished the game in the ninth inning, striking out two to close it out.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (4-0 Flyers)
Senior Mariano Ricciardi led off the game with a walk, and following a groundout junior Marcos Pujols hit his second home run of the season to give Dayton an early 2-0 lead. Senior Riley Tirotta followed that up with a double and with one on graduate student Alex Brickman clubbed his team-leading fifth home run of the season to give UD its fourth run of the inning and the advantage early on.
 
Bottom 1: (7-4 Colonels)
Majick struck out the first batter of the game, but the next hitter reached on an error. A two-run home run cut the lead to two. A single and a hit by pitch put two runners on and a wild pitch advanced them both into scoring position. Back-to-back home runs made it 6-4 EKU and Howell entered the game. A walk and a single put a runner on third and a sacrifice fly to right field gave the Colonels their seventh run of the inning.
 
Top 2: (11-7 Flyers)
Junior Jay Curtis led off the inning with a single and senior Michael Cleary and Ricciardi hit back-to-back home runs, with each being the first home run of the season for the pair to tie the game at 7-7. Walks by junior Benjamin Blackwell and Pujols put two on and one batter later Brickman walked to load the bases. Graduate student Eddie Pursinger brought home the eighth run of the game on a hit by pitch. Senior Mitchell Garrity would then clear the bases with a one-out triple to make it 11-7.
 
Bottom 2: (11-8 Flyers)
Two walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases and a second hit by pitch from Jared Howell brought home EKU's eighth run of the game.
 
Bottom 3: (11-9 Flyers)
A one-out double put one on in scoring position and after a groundout to Blackwell, an error by Pujols at first base brought home a run, making it 11-9 Dayton.
 
Top 5: (13-9 Flyers)
Garrity led off the inning with a walk, stealing second and advancing to third on an error. Cleary would also walk and steal second to put two in scoring position and two batters later Blackwell would drive in two more runs with a single to right center to extend Dayton's lead to four.
 
Bottom 5: (13-10 Flyers)
EKU led off the inning with a double and a single to left center brought home the tenth run of the game for the Colonels.
 
Bottom 6: (13-11 Flyers)
A one-out infield single, followed by a stolen base put a Colonel in scoring position, and a single to right field brought home another run and cut Dayton's lead to two.
 
Top 7: (20-11 Flyers)
Garrity led off the inning with his second-straight game with a home run to make it 14-11 and after Curtis was hit by a pitch, Cleary reached on a throwing error by EKU's pitcher. Three straight RBI singles by Ricciardi, Blackwell, and Pujols made it 17-11 and Pursinger hit his third home run of the season, scoring Blackwell and Pujols as well and extending the UD lead to nine runs.
 
Bottom 9: (20-13 Flyers)
Keller led off the inning with a strikeout before walking the next batter. A passed ball moved the runner to second and an error by Blackwell put runners on the corners. Another passed ball scored the first run of the inning and the game was given its final score on an error by Ricciardi at second.
 
 
UP NEXT
Dayton will return home to begin a series against Kent State starting Friday. The Flyers will play Friday at 3 p.m. and Saturday at 1 p.m. at Woerner Field before heading to Kent State for a doubleheader Sunday.