BRONX, N.Y. – The University of Dayton baseball team fell 6-2 to Fordham on Friday afternoon at Houlihan Park in the Bronx. Senior Marcos Pujols hit his seventh home run of the year in the loss.
 
The Flyers led 2-0 entering the bottom of the fifth inning before allowing five runs to cross the plate. Dayton falls to 14-16 overall and 3-5 in A-10 play, while Fordham improves to 7-24, 2-6 against conference opponents.
 
Dayton's offense saw six hits from six different Flyers, with junior Keagan Calero picking up the other RBI of the game. Senior Jake Silverstein also reached base twice, drawing a pair of walks.
 
ON THE MOUND
Junior Mark Manfredi started the game for Dayton, going 4.2 innings and giving up three runs on five hits. The lefty struck out seven Fordham hitters, tying his second highest total of the season. Junior Anthony Hattrup relieved Manfredi in the fifth, allowing two runs on two hits, facing four batters before graduate student Andrew Zapka came in.
 
Zapka would finish the fifth for the Flyers, pitching one scoreless inning, striking out two. Graduate student Nick Meyer entered for Zapka with two outs in the sixth, going the next two innings, allowing his first run of the season while striking out three. Sophomore Austin Brush relieved Meyer in the eighth, recording the last defensive out of the game for Dayton, retiring the only batter he faced.
 
SCORING PLAYS
Top 1: (1-0 Flyers)
Pujols hit his seventh home run of the season on the first pitch he saw, a 398 foot shot over the right field fence to give the Flyers an early 1-0 lead.
 
Top 5: (2-0 Flyers)
Freshman Matt Maloney's two-out double put a runner in scoring position in the fifth. Silverstein drew one of his two walks to put a pair of runners on and Calero's base hit up the middle brought Maloney in to extend the lead to two runs.
 
Bottom 5: (5-2 Rams)
Fordham opened the fifth with a base hit, with a sacrifice bunt putting a runner on second. A home run tied the game at two before Manfredi retired the next batter on a fly out. A hit by pitch ended Manfredi's day on the mound and a walk followed by another Fordham home run put the Flyers down three through five.
 
Bottom 8: (6-2 Rams)
Meyer struck out the first batter of the eighth inning before a base hit and stolen base put a runner in scoring position. A walk put two on before a fly out to center field gave Dayton a second out of the inning. The Rams scored their sixth and final run of the game on a base hit through the left side to cement the score at 6-2.
 
UP NEXT
The Flyers will return to Houlihan Park to take on the Rams in the rubber match on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 12 p.m. in the Bronx.