Bulldogs fall to Dayton on Friday

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Dayton's Hunter Wolfe struck out 14 over seven innings to lead the Flyers to a 9-2 victory over the Bryant University baseball team on Opening Day.

Junior Shane Kelly (Sewell, N.J.), senior Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.) and freshman Alex Lane (Andover, Mass.) picked up the only hits for the Black and Gold in the contest.

Junior Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, N.Y.) made his second-straight Opening Day start and allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits over five innings. He walked two and struck out three.

Game Information
Dayton 9, Bryant 2
Records: Bryant (0-1), Dayton (1-0)
Location: Brooks Field (Wilmington, N.C.)
W|L|S: Hunter Wolfe | Tyler Mattison

Key Moment

• Dayton broke a scoreless tie with three consecutive hits to open the fourth inning. Benjamin Blackwell tripled home the first run and scored on an RBI single.  

How it Happened

• Mariano Ricciardi led off the fourth with an infield single, the first hit for either team in the game. Blackwell followed with an RBI triple and Riley Tirotta scored him with a single up the middle.
• The Flyers extended their lead in the fifth as Marcos Pujols reached on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch with two outs.
• Bryant used a two-out rally to plate a run in the top of the sixth. Senior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) was hit by a pitch with two outs, sophomore Jake Gustin (Peabody, Mass.) walked and Cruz followed with a single to left center to score Ciliento.    
• Dayton got the run back in the sixth as Tirotta singled and came around to score on a sac fly.
• The Flyers put the game away with four runs in the seventh. The first run scored on an HBP with the bases loaded and Jared Howell plated two with a single. A sac fly capped the four-run inning.
• Lane drove in Bryant's second run of the game in the ninth, scoring Vincenzo Castronovo (Utica, N.Y.) from first with a double.

Stats

• Dayton outhit Bryant, 7-3.
• The Bulldogs made a pair of errors in the contest.
• Bryant struck out 17 times on Friday.
• Bryant turned a pair of double plays in the contest.  
• Mattison allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits, walked two and struck out three over five innings.
• Redshirt junior Nash Eppard (Essex, Conn.) allowed five runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of relief.
• Freshman Parker Hansen (Granby, Conn.) allowed one run on one hit over one inning of relief.
• Sophomore Mike Randazzo (Fairfield, Conn.) struck out two batters in 0.2 scoreless innings.
• Ciliento reached twice with a walk and a hit by pitch.

Notes and Notables

• The Bulldogs are now 2-1 against Dayton. It was the first meeting between the two teams since 2013.
• Kelly now has 16 career doubles.
• Ciliento now has 136 career runs scored, the sixth-most in DI program history.
• Mattison has now allowed three runs or less in each of his last 11 starts dating back to last year.
• Hansen and Lane both made their collegiate debuts on Friday.

Up Next

The Bulldogs will face Dayton and UNC Wilmington in a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch against Dayton is set for noon, while the Bulldogs and Seahawks will square off at 4 p.m.