April 6, 2007

Box Score

DAYTON, Ohio - In a game the featured two separate delays due to snow, Dayton flurried past Temple, 6-3 in the opener of an Atlantic 10 Conference series at Time Warner Cable Stadium on Friday. The Flyers and Owls will resume 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.

UD out hit TU, 10-8 on the afternoon including a pair of home runs from Jeff Mercer and Michael Massa. Mercer finished 2-for-2 with a walk, hit by pitch, two runs scored, three RBI and a two-run homer in the seventh inning. Massa was 1-for-5 with a solo blast to leadoff the fifth inning.

Scott Dunwoody was 1-for-3 with a walk, double and two runs scored while Max Navalinski went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored for the Flyers.

Bobby Getty added a RBI single and Cole Tyrell had a sacrifice fly as UD won for the third time in its last four conference games.

Chris Rubio earned the win for the Flyers after recording six strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched. He allowed three runs on six hits and three walks before leaving the game following the first snow delay in the top of the seventh inning.

Alex Dye earned his second save of the season with 3.0 innings of scoreless relief pitching. He struck out three batters and allowed just two hits and no walks in his 10th scoreless relief outing of the year.

With flurries in the air and the temperature at 34 degrees to start the game, the Dayton bats finally heated up in the bottom of the second inning. Jeff Mercer was hit by a pitch to leadoff the frame. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Joe McSoley. Then Myles Swartzel ripped a single to left centerfield to put runners at the corners with one out. Cole Tyrell sent Mercer home from third with a sacrifice fly to centerfield and put UD ahead 1-0.

Max Navalinski started another Flyer rally in the bottom of the third with a check-swing infield single to third base. After a lineout to right field, Scott Dunwoody doubled down the right field line to give the Flyers a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. Bobby Getty picked up the first RBI for Dayton with a single to left centerfield. Then Jeff Mercer followed with a single of his own down the left field line to drive in another run and give UD a 3-0 advantage after three innings.

Temple scored twice in the top of the fourth, but Dayton responded in the bottom of the fifth on a solo homer to right field by Michael Massa to go ahead 4-2 after five innings of play.

The Owls scored another run in a top of the seventh inning that was delayed for 15 minutes due to heavy snow squalls. Dayton came back with a rally of its own in the bottom of the seventh. Scott Dunwoody drew a leadoff walk and after a pitching change, Jeff Mercer blasted a two-run bomb to left field to give Dayton a 6-3 lead. The Flyer bats cooled off after a 70 minute snow delay and Alex Dye shut down the Owls in the eighth and ninth innings for a 6-3 victory for UD.