RICHMOND, Va. –The University of Dayton baseball team fell in the Atlantic 10 title game to VCU 7-6 in the rain on Saturday night at The Diamond in Richmond, Va. The Flyers advanced to the Atlantic 10 Championship final for the second straight season and finished the season with a record of 24-27, which includes a 12-4 finish in conference play for a .750 winning percentage, the program's highest since the 2009 season when Dayton's A-10 winning percentage was .778.
 
The Flyers led through the first three innings before VCU picked up five runs in the top of the fourth to take a 6-3 lead. Dayton would cut the deficit to two twice and one using a run in the bottom of the seventh inning, but could not pick up the tying or go-ahead run.
 
Senior Riley Tirotta led the offensive charge for the Flyers, putting together three hits to lead the team. Tirotta also drove in his 58^th run of the season, the seventh most in a season in program history. The third baseman was one of four on the team to get multiple hits, with senior Mariano Ricciardi also driving in two runs on the evening. Graduate students Alex Brickman and Eddie Pursinger each also compiled two hits, with Pursinger securing the only extra-base hit on the day for Dayton.
 
ON THE MOUND
Freshman Parker Bard got the start for Dayton in the must-win game, going the first three innings of the contest allowing three runs on two hits and striking out two Rams. Bard would face the first two hitters in the top of the fourth inning before giving way to the bullpen. Senior Hunter Wolfe would go the next one-third of an inning, allowing two runs on one hit.
 
Junior Bryce Hellgeth would relieve Wolfe, getting the next out, giving up one run on one hit in the fourth. Freshman Austin Brush would complete the fourth inning, pitching 1.0 inning on the mound striking out one and allowing one run before graduate student Ben Olson entered to finish the fifth inning. Olson allowed one hit but did not give up a run.
 
Junior Jake Silverstein would begin the sixth inning on the mound and would pitch the next two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out two VCU hitters. After facing the first two batters in the seventh, graduate student Justin Longbrake would enter and finish the game for the Flyers, also pitching two scoreless innings allowing just one hit and picking up a strikeout.
 
As a pitching staff in 2021, the Flyers struck out 434 batters, which is the second-most by a pitching staff in program history, trailing just the team from 2019, who picked up 491 strikeouts.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Bottom 1: (1-0 Flyers)
Ricciardi led off the inning with a single up the middle and would advance to second and then third on back-to-back groundouts. Tirotta would give Dayton the lead on a base hit that hit second base and bounce straight into the air, scoring Ricciardi to make it 1-0 Dayton.
 
Bottom 2: (3-0 Flyers)
Pursinger led off the second with a double down the right field line and would advance to third on a wild pitch. Junior Jay Curtis was hit by a pitch and two batters later Ricciardi picked up his first RBI of the afternoon with a single to left center, moving Curtis to third in the process. Junior Benjamin Blackwell would bring in the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to deep center field to extend UD's lead to three.
 
Top 3: (3-1 Flyers)
A leadoff walk followed by a ground out to second base put a runner in scoring position. VCU singled to right field scoring the run, making it a 3-1 game.
 
Top 4: (6-3 Rams)
Two hit by pitches and a walk loaded the bases and a wild pitch scored the first run of the inning. A groundout to second brought home another run and a single to center field scored a third. A walk was followed by a wild pitch and another groundout brought the fourth run of the inning home. Another wild pitch made it 6-3.
 
Bottom 4: (6-4 Rams)
Dayton cut the lead to two with Blackwell reaching on an error and moving to second on a walk by junior Marcos Pujols. Tirotta was hit by a pitch to load the bases and graduate student Chris Cabrera brought Blackwell in to score on a sacrifice fly to left center.
 
Top 5: (7-4 Rams)
VCU scored the team's final run of the game on a two-out triple followed by a single through the right side.
 
Bottom 5: (7-5 Rams)
Pursinger reached on an infield single to lead off the inning and Curtis bunted him to second. Another infield single by senior Mitchell Garrity put runners on the corners and Ricciardi plated his second run of the game on a fielder's choice off the pitcher's glove to cut the lead back to two.
 
Bottom 7: (7-6 Rams)
Brickman led off the inning with a base hit up the middle. Curtis would reach on an infield single and an errant toss into the Dayton dugout allowed both runners to advance into scoring position. Garrity brought home the team's sixth run of the game with a sacrifice fly to right field, cutting the lead to one run. The Flyers could not bring another run home in the contest, falling 7-6.
 
ALL-CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM
At the conclusion of the game, the All-Championship Team was announced, with Tirotta, Ricciardi, and graduate student R.J. Wagner, who pitched eight innings in Friday's contest en route to Dayton's win over Rhode Island all represented Dayton on the 12-player team.