NASHVILLE – The University of Dayton baseball team evened the series against Belmont, winning 6-5 behind three RBIs from senior Jay Curtis and a strong start from junior Ryan Steinhauer. Senior Marcos Pujols and junior Keagan Calero each homered for the first time this season in the win.
 
The Flyers snapped Belmont's 10-game winning streak in the win and improve to 6-3 this season. The Bruins fall to 10-2. The Dayton offense drew 10 walks with three Flyers drawing multiple walks in the game and every starter reached base at least once in the game, while Dayton pitchers limited the free passes on the other side walking just three Belmont hitters.
 
ON THE MOUND
Steinhauer started the game for Dayton, picking up his first win of the season going 5.1 innings. The junior allowed just four hits and struck out six Bruins while giving up three runs. After giving up two runs in the second inning, the lefty settled down to blank Belmont the next three frames.
 
Sophomore Eli Majick got the next out for the Flyers, facing two batters in the sixth relieving Steinhauer before giving way to graduate student Andrew Zapka who would pick up his first save of the season after going the final 3.1 innings, striking out four and giving up just two runs on three hits to give the Flyers their sixth win of the season.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (1-0 Flyers)
Calero opened the game on a positive note for the Flyers sending a ball over the left field wall for his first home run at UD to give Dayton an early 1-0 lead.
 
Bottom 2: (2-1 Bruins)
Steinhauer retired the first Belmont hitter in the second inning, but the Bruins got back-to-back hits to put two in scoring position. A wild pitch tied the game and a two-out single to right field made it a 2-1 Belmont lead after two innings.
 
Top 3: (4-2 Flyers)
Pujols started the two-out rally for the Flyers with a home run to left center field to tie the score at two. Graduate student Henry Strmecki reached as well and a hit by pitch to graduate student Alexis Castillo put two on for Curtis. The Dayton catcher put a ball past the right fielder to score both runners and give Dayton the lead right back.
 
Bottom 6: (4-3 Flyers)
The Bruins got the first two batters of the inning on in the sixth. Steinhauer would strike out the next Belmont hitter, but a single to right field scored the run and cut the lead to one. The combination of Majick and Zapka would keep the Bruins off the board for the rest of the inning.
 
Top 7: (5-3 Flyers)
Pujols and Strmecki both reached to open the seventh. Redshirt freshman Andrew Casey reached on a hit by pitch with two outs to load the bases and junior Jose Martinez drew a bases loaded walk to extend Dayton's lead to two.
 
Top 9: (6-3 Flyers)
Strmecki led off the top of the ninth with a triple and two batters later he would score on a base hit to right field again by Curtis to give Dayton a 6-3 lead and add another insurance run for the Flyers.
 
Bottom 9: (6-5 Flyers)
Belmont opened the ninth with a base hit to left. Zapka got a pop out to junior Omar Daniels for the first out of the inning. Another base hit and a wild pitch put two in scoring position when a groundout to Calero at third gave the Flyers their second out of the inning, scoring a run from third. A base hit scored another run and cut Dayton's lead to one, but Zapka gave Dayton the win by getting a fielder's choice to end the game, giving the Flyers the opportunity to take the series on Sunday.
 
UP NEXT
Dayton will take on Belmont in the series finale at 2 p.m. Eastern time at E.S. Rose Park in Nashville.