NEW ORLEANS, La. – The University of Dayton baseball team hit two home runs in the top of the ninth, but fell 3-2 in the series finale at Tulane on Sunday. Senior Marcos Pujols and junior Alex Neff each homered to tie the game at two, but the Flyers allowed a run in the bottom of the ninth giving Tulane a 3-2 win at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans.
 
The Flyers fall to 9-11 this season, but entering conference play will have won three of the five non-conference matchups played in full. Tulane improves to 16-8-1 in 2022.
 
Dayton picked up five hits on the afternoon and drew just one walk on Sunday against Tulane, but a solid effort by the Dayton pitching staff put Dayton in a position to mount a late comeback. Dayton pitchers allowed just six hits and three walks against the Green Wave.
 
Pujols and Neff picked up the loudest hits for the offense, but senior Jake Silverstein reached base twice picking up a base hit and a walk, and redshirt freshman Nick Lukac and freshman Matt Maloney each finished 1-for-3.
 
ON THE MOUND
Junior Mark Manfredi tied the longest outing of the season by a Dayton pitcher, going six innings and allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out seven. It marks the first quality start of the season for Manfredi, who held the Green Wave scoreless for his final four innings on Sunday.
 
Junior Anthony Hattrup entered in the seventh, pitching the next 2.2 innings for the Flyers. Hattrup allowed just one run on one hit and picked up a strikeout pitching into the ninth for Dayton. Graduate student Nick Meyer entered the game with two outs in the ninth and allowed two hits before the game ended as the third and final pitcher for the Flyers.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Bottom 1: (1-0 Green Wave)
Manfredi allowed a one-out walk and balked to advance the runner to second. A fly out to right moved him to third and a wild pitch brought home the first run of the game.
 
Bottom 2: (2-0 Green Wave)
An error by Neff put a runner on second and a stolen base put the runner on third. A sacrifice fly to left field scored the run and put the Flyers down two.
 
Top 9: (2-2 Tie)
With one out, Pujols sent a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall to put Dayton within one run, and two batters later, Neff tied the game with his team-leading fourth home run of the season.
 
Bottom 9: (3-2 Green Wave)
Hattrup retired the first two batters of the inning before a walk ended his day. A base hit to right field moved the lead runner to third and a second single to right brought the run home, finalizing the score at 3-2.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will open A-10 play next weekend with a three-game series against Rhode Island. It will also mark just the second time in 2022 that Dayton will play at home, with the series opener coming on Friday at 3 p.m.