RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Dayton baseball team completed a four-game sweep of Richmond with a 20-10 victory on the road on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Flyers now sport an Atlantic 10 record of 8-4 and a seven-game winning streak putting UD at 18-23 overall. Sunday's offensive outpour included six home runs and nine total extra-base hits. Junior Marcos Pujols hit two home runs and drove in a career-high seven RBI in the nine inning contest. Senior Mitchell Garrity also hit two home runs in his two plate appearances on the afternoon, driving in four runs himself and giving him three home runs in the series.
 
 Junior Jay Curtis homered for the second-straight day and graduate student Eddie Pursinger also went deep for the ninth time this season in the win. Senior Mariano Ricciardi doubled in the contest, extending his hitting streak to 21 games. Ricciardi also drew three walks, giving him a team-leading 32 and tying him for ninth in the single-season record book with Brandon Smith in 2017 and Takahiro Yamada in 2019.
 
ON THE MOUND
Freshman Ben Petschke got the ball on Sunday for his first career collegiate start, going 2.2 innings allowing two runs on just two hits Petschke struck out one in the outing. He was relieved by senior Jonathan Brus, who would go the next inning in relief, also allowing two runs on two hits.
 
Sophomore Anthony Hattrup would enter in the fourth and would earn the win, improving his season record to 1-1 and going the next 2.1 innings. Hattrup gave up one earned run on two hits and picked up a strikeout in his time on the mound.
 
Junior Bryce Hellgeth would be up next, allowing three runs in the seventh inning and picking up two strikeouts for UD in the process. Hellgeth sits third on the team with 43 strikeouts in just 26.1 innings on the mound this season.
 
Graduate student Justin Longbrake would pitch the scoreless eighth inning, allowing just one hit and the game was finished by freshman Austin Brush, who retired all three batters he faced in the final frame to secure the victory for Dayton.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Bottom 1: (1-0 Spiders)
Richmond led off the game with a double down the left field line and would advance the runner on a groundout to junior Benjamin Blackwell. After a hit by pitch, Petschke got a ground ball but the Flyers could only get one out, allowing the first run of the game to cross the plate.
 
Top 2: (1-1 Tie)
Graduate student Chris Cabrera drew a one-out walk and would advance to second on a groundout by Pursinger. Graduate student Alex Brickman tied the game with a base hit up the middle, making it a 1-1 game.
 
Bottom 2: (2-1 Spiders)
A leadoff walk would advance to third on two groundouts to senior Riley Tirotta, and an infield single brought home the run making it 2-1.
 
Top 3: (6-2 Flyers)
Ricciardi led off the inning with one of his three walks and Blackwell was hit by a pitch to put two on for Pujols, who unloaded on a pitch for a three-run home run and a 4-2 Dayton lead. Two batters later Cabrera singled up the middle and Pursinger followed with an opposite-field home run of his own to extend the lead to four runs.
 
Top 4: (9-2 Flyers)
Senior Michael Cleary was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and would advance to second on a single by Blackwell. Both runners moved up a base on a wild pitch and Pujols would hit his second home run in as many innings to give the Flyers a 9-2 lead.
 
Bottom 4: (9-4 Flyers)
Brus would retire the first two Richmond hitters before allowing a double to center field. A wild pitch moved the runner to third and a walk put two on and two out before a two-RBI double cut Dayton's lead to five.
 
Top 5: (10-4 Flyers)
Curtis hit his second home run of the season out to left field with two outs, giving the Flyers a double-digit run total for the twelfth time this season.
 
Top 6: (13-4 Flyers)
Tirotta led off the inning with a hit by pitch and proceeded to steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch. Back-to-back walks to Pursinger and Brickman loaded the bases. Tirotta proceeded to go for a straight steal of home, which he did putting UD up 11-4. After Cleary was hit by a pitch for the second time in the game, Ricciardi doubled over the left fielder's head making it a nine-run lead for Dayton.
 
Bottom 6: (13-5 Flyers)
Richmond got a one-out single to center field and advanced with another single to right field. With one out a ground ball to Blackwell got the force out at second base but an error on the throw to first allowed the run to score for the Spiders, making it a 13-5 Dayton lead.
 
Top 7: (15-5 Flyers)
Tirotta doubled to right center field before Garrity hit his first home run of the day in his first at bat of the day, extending the lead to double-digits.
 
Bottom 7: (15-10 Flyers)
A leadoff walk was followed by a single and two doubles, bringing home three runs and cutting the lead to seven runs. After a strikeout, and infield single advanced the runner to third and another base hit to center field brought home a run and moved another runner to third. Hellgeth would strike out the next Richmond hitter, but the ball got passed Curtis behind the plate allowing the run to score and making it 15-10.
 
Top 8: (17-10 Flyers)
Cleary and Ricciardi worked back-to-back one-out walks and Pujols would drive in his seventh run of the game on an RBI single to right field, putting runners on the corners with two outs. A delayed steal where Pujols intentionally got into a rundown ensued and Ricciardi scored from third giving UD a seven-run lead.
 
Top 9: (20-10 Flyers)
Tirotta led off the inning with a hit by pitch and Garrity followed with his second two-run home run of the day, making it a nine-run lead for the Flyers. Pursinger would follow with a walk and would score on an RBI double from Curtis, making it 20-10 and giving the game its final score.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return to Richmond next weekend to take on VCU. All four games will be broadcast with a paid subscription to ESPN+.