DAVIDSON, N.C. – The University of Dayton baseball team dropped a Saturday contest with Davidson at Wilson Field 12-9.
 
The Flyers now sit at 10-22 on the season and 0-3 in A-10 play. Dayton also made the comeback after trailing 9-3 in the seventh, bringing it to 9-8 before Davidson scored three more runs in the bottom of the inning.

Senior Riley Tirotta had his first multi-home run game of his career and set a career high with five RBIs in the loss. Graduate student Chris Cabrera had multiple hits, including his second home run of the season as well. Junior Benjamin Blackwell also had two hits in the loss and senior Mariano Ricciardi extended his hitting streak to a team-high 12 games and has now reached base in 19 consecutive games
 
ON THE MOUND
Senior Cole Pletka got the start for Dayton, going three innings, allowing five runs on three hits while striking out four. The Richmond, Texas, native walked four in his tenure on the mound. Freshman Ben Petschke entered for Pletka in the fourth inning, giving up two runs in two innings, picking up two strikeouts along the way.
 
Junior Jake Silverstein would enter for Petschke, going the next 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on two hits with two strikeouts. Senior Jonathan Brus would relive Silverstein in the seventh and would go the final 1.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (1-0 Flyers)
Blackwell hit a one-out double to left center field. The shortstop would steal third and score on a wild throw on the stolen base attempt to give Dayton an early lead.
 
Bottom 1: (3-1 Wildcats)
Davidson led off with a triple, followed by a walk and a hit by pitch to load the bases. Two walks brought home the first two runs of the inning and a wild pitch that got past junior catcher Jay Curtis extended the Dayton deficit to two runs.
 
Top 3: (3-3 Tie)
Junior Marcos Pujols led off the inning with a hit by pitch and Tirotta's first home run of the game tied the contest at 3-3.
 
Bottom 3: (5-3 Wildcats)
The Wildcats took the lead back with back-to-back home runs off of Pletka to make it 5-3.
 
Bottom 5: (7-3 Wildcats)
Davidson hit a leadoff double, followed by a two-run home run to extend the deficit for the Flyers to four runs.
 
Bottom 6: (9-3 Wildcats)
Silverstein got the first out of the inning before a hit by pitch and two-run home run made it 9-3.
 
Top 7: (9-8 Wildcats)
The Flyers led off the inning with a hit by pitch to Blackwell and a walk by Pujols before Tirotta blasted his second home run of the game to cut the lead to three. Graduate student Eddie Pursinger singled to center field and two batters later Cabrera brought Dayton within one with a home run to right center field.
 
Bottom 7: (11-8 Wildcats)
Silverstein struck out the first two batters of the inning before a walk and a home run made it a three-run game once again.
 
Top 8: (11-9 Wildcats)
Blackwell, Pujols, and Tirotta all walked to load the bases and a wild pitch to Pursinger brought Blackwell home and cut the lead back to two.
 
Bottom 8: (12-9 Wildcats)
Brus got the first out of the inning before a double put a runner in scoring position. A groundout to second moved the runner to third and a single brought home the run to make it 12-9. The Flyers failed to score in the ninth, giving the game its final score.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return to Wilson Field for the series finale against Davidson on Sunday at 1 p.m.