Flyers baseball sweeps doubleheader at Day Air Ballpark, clinches berth in A10 Tournament

Senior second baseman Mariano Ricciardi extended his on base streak to 32 games after hits in both of the Flyers’ paramount wins over George Washington at Day Air Ballpark on Friday night. Photo (from April 17) courtesy of Dayton Baseball on Twitter.

Peter Burtnett
Sports Editor

Playing at Day Air Ballpark for the second time this season Friday night, the Dayton Flyers baseball team swept George Washington 11-4 and 7-4 to ensure a better Atlantic 10 record than the Colonials and clinch a spot in the A10 Tournament.

Home of the Cincinnati Reds’ High-A affiliate Dayton Dragons, Day Air Ballpark hosted Friday’s doubleheader, which was promptly started by a 4-run first inning for the Flyers. Junior third baseman Riley Tirotta, who was the MVP of the first game by batting 2-3 with a three-run home run and 4 RBIs, drove in the first run before left fielder Chris Cabrera homered to left field to bring in 3 more runs.

George Washington threatened with a run in the second and fourth innings, but the Flyers added 2 runs in the bottom of the fourth and the final seven in an onslaught of a sixth inning, culminating in Tirotta’s three-run home run to left field.

In the second game, the Flyers trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning. An error scored junior outfielder Michael Cleary, and sophomore designated hitter Marcos Pujols followed that with a 2-RBI single to right field, giving the Flyers the lead.

The avalanche continued with a sacrifice fly by Tirotta and finished with a three-run home run to left field by senior first baseman Alex Brickman, giving the Flyers their second 7-run inning of the doubleheader.

The Colonials added two runs in the sixth, but sophomore pitcher Bryce Hellgeth came in to shut the door with a scoreless inning-and-a-third.

With the win, the Flyers push closer to a .500 winning percentage (21-25) and 11-4 in Atlantic 10 play. The win also pushes them to a higher A10 winning percentage than George Washington can reach, allowing the Flyers to finish second in the A10 South and clinch a spot in next weekend’s tournament at VCU.

Before the A10 Tournament, the Flyers will finish their season with Senior Day back at Woerner Field against the Colonials at noon Saturday.

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