April 27, 2007

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio - Homestanding Dayton was hampered by five errors in a 12-4 loss to Massachusetts on Friday in the opener of an Atlantic 10 baseball series at Time Warner Cable Stadium. The Flyers and Minutemen will continue their series on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in a game that can be followed with live audio and Gametracker at www.DaytonFlyers.com.

Both teams entered the game tied for 10th place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings. However with the loss, UD falls to 17-23 overall and 6-10 in conference play while UMass improved to 13-18 overall and 7-9 in A-10 action.

The five Flyer errors are the most by UD in a single game this season and also the most ever by a Dayton team at home in the three-year history of Time Warner Cable Stadium. Massachusetts also out hit Dayton, 14-10 and stranded just eight runners on base to UD's 11.

Redshirt sophomore Scott Dunwoody led the Flyers on the afternoon with a 4-for-5 performance that included a double, triple, two runs scored and two RBI. His four hits were a season-high.

Three other UD players had multi-hit days at the plate. Sophomore Quinn Haselhorst doubled as part of a two-hit afternoon while Jeff Mercer and Joe McSoley each singled twice. Mercer added a pair of RBI to increase his team-leading total to 35.

Cole Tyrell and Frank Tedesco each scored off the bench as part of a three-run rally in the seventh inning for the Flyers, which fell to 8-8 at home this season.

Senior Chris Rubio (5-5) suffered the loss after allowing four earned runs on six hits in 5.0 innings pitched. The righthander struck out four and did not surrender a walk on the afternoon.

Classmate Phil Ernst gave up one earned run on a pair of hits with two strikeouts in 2.0 innings of relief. He was replaced by Lucas Farden who allowed four earned runs on six hits in 2.0 innings pitched. Farden struck out one batter and walked another.

After Chris Rubio retired the side in order during the top of the first, the Flyers got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. Scott Dunwoody hit a one-out double down the left field line for the first base runner of the afternoon. After a ground out, Jeff Mercer sent him home with a RBI single to centerfield and UD was ahead, 1-0. Joe McSoley followed with a single of his own to centerfield and Myles Swartzel was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs, but the Flyers could not take advantage as a fly ball to left field ended the rally with Dayton only leading, 1-0.

Ryan Franczek evened the score quickly in the top of the second inning. The leadoff batter lifted a 2-2 pitch in the right centerfield and the wind carried the ball over the fence for his first home run of the season. UMass added two more runs in the frame and went ahead, 3-1.

The Minutemen took advantage of a Flyer error to add on an unearned run in the third. They also pulled off a successful double steal with runners at first and third to tally another score in the fifth to build a 5-1 advantage.

UMass went ahead 7-1 in the top of the sixth following a pair of UD fielding errors that allowed two runs to score.

Dayton responded with its best rally of the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. Frank Tedesco and Cole Tyrell drew back-to-back walks to begin the frame. Then Scott Dunwoody looped a base hit down the right field line for a two-RBI triple. Bobby Getty walked on the next at bat and UMass went to its bullpen for relief. Jeff Mercer helped the Flyers add another run with a RBI ground out on a nice play by the UMass shortstop to hold the Flyer rally to just three runs and make it a 7-4 game.

The Minutmen blew the game wide open with a run in the eighth and four more in the ninth including the second home run of the day by Ryan Franczek in the ninth inning as UMass went on to win, 12-4.