DAYTON, OH – The University of Dayton baseball team opened the conference season with a 9-8 walk-off win at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium on Friday afternoon. Junior
Ben Jones knocked home senior Jake Silverstien on a sharp single up the middle in the bottom of the ninth to give the Flyers their 10th win of the season.
The Flyers improve to 10-11 (1-0 A-10), while Rhode Island falls to 3-21 (0-1 A-10).
Dayton had an 8-2 lead going into the seventh inning before the Rams fought back, scoring three runs each in the top of the seventh and eighth inning to tie the game up.
Junior Keegan Calero helped set the table for the Flyers, going 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored. Freshman
Matt Maloney also picked up a pair of hits, going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in.
ON THE MOUND
Junior
Ryan Steinhauer started the game for the Flyers, going six strong innings. Steinhauer limited the Rams to just five hits and two runs while striking out 11, setting a new career high in a Dayton uniform.
Senior
Bryce Hellgeth relieved Steinhauer in the top of the seventh, giving up three runs on just one hit in two-thirds of an inning. Sophomore
Eli Majick relieved Hellgeth, finishing the seventh for the Flyers.
Graduate student
Andrew Zapka came in for Majick to start the eighth inning, giving up a three-run homer before striking out two and ending the top half of the inning. Graduate student
Nick Meyer pitched a scoreless ninth inning, putting the Flyers in position for their first walk-off win of the season.
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (1-0 Rams)
After two Rams reached via a walk, an RBI single put the Rams up 1-0.
Bottom 1: (3-1 Flyers)
Calero drew a one-out walk, advancing to second on a wild pitch. Senior
Marcos Pujols was hit by a pitch to put two on before another wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. Senior
Jay Curtis drew a walk two batters later to load the bases before another walk to junior
Alex Neff tied the game. Maloney drove in two more to give the Flyers the lead with a base hit to right center, putting Dayton up 3-1.
Top 2: (3-2 Flyers )
A pair of doubles by Rhode Island reduced the Dayton lead to one at 3-2.
Bottom 2: (7-2 Flyers)
Senior
Jake Silverstein started off the inning with a walk for Dayton, then stole second. With two out, junior
Keagan Calero reached on a throwing error, and advanced all the way to third on an interference call, scoring Silverstein from second to extend the lead back to two. A single by Pujols on the following play scored Calero to make it 5-2. Graduate student
Henry Strmecki walked to put two on, prompting a pitching change for Rhode Island. Back-to-back singles by Curtis and Neff capped off the Flyers four-run inning.
Bottom 6: (8-2 Flyers)
After reaching off his third hit of the day, Calero advanced to second off an error on a pickoff attempt. Strmecki would bring Calero home with an RBI double, extending Dayton's lead to six runs.
Top 7: (8-5 Flyers)
After three straight Rams reached base off a pair of walks and a hit batter, a single to left plated two for Rhode Island. Following another walk, a hit batter scored another for Rhode Island, trimming the Dayton lead to three.
Top 8: (8-8 Tied)
Two Rams reached base via a double followed by a hit batter to start the inning. A three run homerun went on to tie the game at eight.
Bottom 9: (9-8 Flyers)
With two outs in the bottom of the 9th, Silverstein walked, and junior
Omar Daniels was hit by a pitch, which gave the Flyers runners on first and second with Jones stepping up to the plate. The junior sent the 1-0 pitch back up the middle, scoring Silverstein from second and giving the Flyers their first A-10 win of the season.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return on Saturday for the second game of the series against the Rams. First pitch is at scheduled for 1 p.m. at Woerner Field at AES Ohio Stadium.
