DAYTON – The University of Dayton baseball team got a walk-off single from graduate student Alex Brickman to defeat Oakland on Sunday afternoon 7-6.
 
The Flyers improve to 3-7 and split the four-game series with the Golden Grizzlies after facing a 6-5 deficit entering the bottom of the ninth inning. Juniors Marcos Pujols and Benjamin Blackwell each picked up two hits and an RBI for UD. Graduate student Tyler Jones picked up the win on the mound, not allowing a hit in his two innings on the mound to end it for Dayton.
 
On the Mound
Junior Dylan Keller got the ball to start the game, going 4.2 innings and allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits. Keller struck out six in his time on the mound. He gave way to junior Jake Silverstein who allowed just one earned run over 1.2 innings with two strikeouts.
 
Senior Jared Howell entered for Silverstein in the seventh inning, facing just two batters before senior Cole Pletka relieved him. Pletka walked the only two batters he faced and was replaced by freshman Parker Bard who ended the seventh, getting out of a bases loaded jam thanks to graduate student left fielder Chris Cabrera, who hung on to make a catch after colliding with the left field wall to end the inning.
 
Jones entered in the eighth inning and took the Flyers the rest of the way on the mound, earning his first win of the season.
 
Scoring Plays
Top 1: (1-0 Golden Grizzlies)
Dylan Keller's first pitch of the game ended in a home run for Oakland, who took a 1-0 lead after that point.
 
Bottom 4: (1-1 Tie)
Senior Riley Tirotta led off the inning with a single to right field. Pujols followed that with a single of his own and a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Cabrera drove in the first run of the game with an RBI single to the shortstop, bringing Tirotta home and tying the game at one.
 
Top 5: (3-1 Golden Grizzlies)
Oakland started the inning with a bunt single. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner to second. OU followed that with a ground out and a hit by pitch before a single to center field scored the run from second. The runner advanced to second after the Flyers had trouble getting the ball back into the infield, putting runners on second and third with two outs. A pitch from Keller got past junior Jay Curtis, allowing another run to score and making it 3-1 OU.
 
Bottom 6: (3-3 Tie)
Cabrera reached again on an error by the Oakland first baseman. Graduate student Eddie Pursinger then got hit by a pitch to put two on with one out. Two batters later, Blackwell singled down the right field line to score Cabrera with Pursinger advancing to third for Curtis. Pursinger scored on a passed ball to tie the game once again.
 
Top 7: (6-3 Golden Grizzlies)
Oakland started off the inning reaching on an error and moved the runner to second on a wild pitch. A single up the middle scored the run and gave the Golden Grizzlies the lead. Two batters later a hit and run into center field followed by the ball getting away in the infield put both runners in scoring position. A sacrifice fly scored one and put another runner on third, and another passed ball made it 6-3 Oakland.
 
Bottom 7 (6-5 Golden Grizzlies)
Senior Michael Cleary led off the inning with a walk, followed by a double by senior Mariano Ricciardi. Tirotta brought Cleary home with a sacrifice fly, moving Ricciardi to third as well and Pujols brought the Dayton second baseman home with a single to right field to close the gap.
 
Bottom 9 (7-6 Flyers)
Pujols was hit by a pitch with one out in the last inning to put the tying run on first. Freshman Anthony Steinhardt entered as a pinch runner and senior Nolan Watson was also hit by a pitch to put the winning run on as well. A passed ball put both of them into scoring position which moved Oakland to intentionally walk Pursinger to load the bases with one out. Steinhardt scored the tying run on a wild pitch, which also advanced Watson and Pursinger. With the infield in, Brickman hit a ground ball to Oakland's shortstop, who could not get Watson in time, giving the Flyers a 7-6 victory.
 
 
Up Next:
The Flyers will return to Woerner Field Friday, March 12 to begin a four-game series against North Dakota State. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m.