RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Dayton baseball team took down Richmond 8-3 in the series opener on Friday morning.
 
The Flyers now sit above .500 in A-10 play at 5-4 and improve to 15-23 overall. Senior Hunter Wolfe had another strong performance on the mound for the Flyers. In the lefty's tenth start of the season, Wolfe gave up just three runs over seven innings, picking up eight strikeouts. He eclipsed 200 career strikeouts in the win, joining Burny Mitchem, Mike Hauschild, Cameron Hobson, and Luke Trubee as the only ones in program history to reach that milestone.
 
Senior Riley Tirotta hit his team-leading twelfth home run of the season, which puts him tied for ninth in the program when it comes to single-season home runs. Senior Mitchell Garrity also homered, and the two joined graduate student Eddie Pursinger with each driving in two runs in the game. Senior Mariano Ricciardi also extended his team-leading hitting streak to 18 consecutive games.
 
ON THE MOUND
Wolfe earned his fourth win of the season and in the process posted his sixth start of the season in which he went at least six innings, gave up three or fewer runs and struck out eight hitters.
 
He was relieved by junior Bryce Hellgeth, who earned his second save of the season, pitching two innings scoreless innings in relief and striking out three. Hellgeth now has 41 strikeouts in just 25.1 innings on the mound.
 
As a team, the Flyers moved into sixth place in program history among pitching staffs with 364 strikeouts as a team on the year, moving ahead of 2018's total, when UD compiled 361 strikeouts.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 4: (1-0 Flyers)
Tirotta led off the fourth inning with a solo home run, his twelfth of the year and the most home runs in a single season since Brandon Smith also hit 12 in 2017. Tirotta now has 20 career home runs as a member of the Flyers.
 
Bottom 5: (1-1 Tie)
Richmond tied the game with a leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Top 6: (4-1 Flyers)
Ricciardi led off the inning with his first triple of the season and junior Benjamin Blackwell brought him home with a single down the right field line, putting UD back in front. Tirotta walked and the two advanced on a wild pitch to put two in scoring position. Pursinger brought both runs in with a double near the left field wall to push Dayton's lead to three.
 
Top 7: (6-1 Flyers)
Junior Jay Curtis reached on a dropped third strike and he was advanced to second by a perfectly placed bunt down the first base line by senior Michael Cleary. Ricciardi reached on one of his three walks on the afternoon to load the bases and two batters later Tirotta was hit by a pitch, bringing Curtis home and making it 5-1. Graduate student Chris Cabrera would make it 6-1 with an RBI single through the right side, scoring Cleary.
 
Bottom 7: (6-3 Flyers)
A leadoff single by the Spiders was followed two batters later by a two-run home run to make it a 6-3 game.
 
Top 9: (8-3 Flyers)
Graduate student Alex Brickman drew a one-out walk and was pinch ran for by freshman Anthony Steinhardt, who advanced to second on a balk. Two batters later Garrity hit his fourth home run of the year, making it 8-3 and giving the game its final score.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return Saturday for a seven-inning doubleheader against Richmond. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. and both games will be streamed on ESPN+.