CINCINNATI, Ohio – The University of Dayton baseball team split a doubleheader against Xavier at Hayden Field in Cincinnati. The Flyers won 4-1 in the first game before dropping the second contest 5-1.
 
UD sits at 10-16 in 2021. In the first game, each of the first eight hitters in Dayton's lineup got a base hit, and all nine reached base in the victory. Senior Hunter Wolfe tossed a complete game picking up 10 strikeouts over the seven-inning contest. Senior Riley Tirotta put the exclamation point on the victory with a three-run home run in the fifth inning.
 
Tirotta picked up two hits in the game two loss, as did senior Mariano Ricciardi, who drove in the lone run for Dayton. Junior Bryce Hellgeth and freshman Austin Brush pitched 4.2 scoreless innings with eight strikeouts between them to lead the Flyers on the mound.
 
GAME ONE
ON THE MOUND
Wolfe continued his streak of impressive performances, notching his fifth straight game going at least six innings with eight or more strikeouts while allowing two or fewer runs. The senior scattered five hits and three walks in his complete game shutout and picked up 10 strikeouts in his third win of the season. Wolfe moved into eighth place in program history with 181 career strikeouts. He is just three behind Tom Harrison, who pitched for the Flyers from 1990-93.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 3: (1-0 Flyers)
Graduate student Chris Cabrera led off the inning with a double to center field and two batters later senior Mitchell Garrity walked to put two on. Junior Benjamin Blackwell brought home the game's first run with an RBI single to right field.
 
Top 5: (4-0 Flyers)
Ricciardi hit a one-out single to center field and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Blackwell reached on a walk and junior Marcos Pujols advanced the runners with a groundout to first base. The Musketeers changed pitchers and Tirotta hit the first pitch he saw for a three-run home run to put the Flyers up four with what would later become the go-ahead home run.
 
Bottom 5: (4-1 Flyers)
Xavier led off the inning with back-to-back singles. A passed ball put two runners in scoring position and after a strikeout, a groundout to Blackwell brought home a run and finished the scoring and gave game one its final score.
 
GAME TWO
ON THE MOUND
Junior Dylan Keller started the game for the Flyers, getting the first out of the game before eventually giving way to Hellgeth. Hellgeth would go the next 2.2 innings, striking out four and giving up one hit without allowing a run.
 
Sophomore Nate Espelin pitched the fourth inning, allowing two runs on three hits while picking up two strikeouts. Brush would go on to finish the game for the Flyers, pitching two hitless innings, also picking up four strikeouts in his time on the mound.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Bottom 1: (3-0 Musketeers)
Keller's first pitch of the game ended in a leadoff home run for Xavier. After a strikeout, a triple and wild pitch brought home the second run of the game. Two walks brought Hellgeth into the game and a balk with a runner on third made it 3-0.
 
Bottom 4: (5-0 Musketeers)
Espelin came in and got the first two Xavier hitters out. A walk, wild pitch, double, and back-to-back singles brought home the next two runs.
 
Top 5: (5-1 Musketeers)
Garrity singled through the right side with one out and junior Jay Curtis moved him to third with a single up the middle. Ricciardi brought home Garrity from third with a two-out single through the left side to give the game its final score.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return to Dayton for a doubleheader at Woerner Field. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m.