University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Dayton
Minutemen Stay Hot, Beat Dayton 18-12
May 07, 2010 | Baseball
May 7, 2010
DAYTON, Ohio - The UMass baseball team used a season-best 22 hits to defeat Dayton, 18-12 in the teams' series opener at Time Warner Cable Stadium on Friday afternoon. With the victory, the Minutemen push their winning streak to five straight and improve to 15-22 on the year, 10-9 in the Atlantic 10, while the Flyers drop to 19-27, 8-11 in A-10 games.
UMass began the contest with a 6-0 lead after sending 10 batters to the plate in the top of the first. Freshman Ryan Cusick and junior Eric Fredette started things off with back-to-back singles, while a walk to senior Mike Donato loaded the bases. With one out, senior Brian Baudinet drove a two-run single back up the middle to put the Minutemen on the board. Junior Peter Copa followed up with a bases-clearing triple to center that brought in Donato and Baudinet. Senior Mike Gedman and junior Kyle Multner then capped off the frame with RBI singles, plating the squad's fifth and sixth runs.
Dayton took one of the runs back with a solo homer by Zach Jacob in the bottom of the first. The Flyers' second run came on a sacrifice fly in the second, while Brian Blasik closed the gap to one with a three-run shot later that inning. Aaron Dunsmore then connected for the squad's third home run of the game to lead off the third, tying the score at six.
That would be as close as Dayton would come to overtaking UMass, however, as the Minutemen followed up with four in the fourth and three in the fifth to expand their advantage to 13-6. Copa and Mike Gedman both had RBI doubles in the fourth, while Mike Gedman came home on a double steal with two down in the fourth. Matt Gedman began the fifth with a double to center and later scored on a wild pitch. Copa then drove in another run as his single to right plated Donato. Baudinet, who proceeded Copa's at bat with a walk, crossed the plate on a passed ball with two down in the frame.
Multner opened up the Minutemen's half of the sixth with a solo home run to right center. He then walked and scored on an RBI single by Fredette the next inning after Mike Gedman began the seventh with a single and came around to score on a wild pitch.
Homers by Blasik, Dunsmore and Josh Jeffery resulted in a five-run bottom of the seventh for Dayton, closing the gap to 16-11.
Courtesy of a two-run shot by Multner with one out in top of the ninth, his second home run of the afternoon, UMass added its 17th and 18th runs of the contest.
The Flyers scored once more in the bottom of the ninth as Jimmy Roesinger belted Dayton's seventh home run, hit out of the park in left center.
Junior Nick Serino picked up the win (2-5) on the mound for the Minutemen as he allowed 11 runs on 11 hits in 6.1 innings on the hill with four walks and five strikeouts. UMass touched up Cameron Hobson, the 2009 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, for 13 runs, 10 earned on 13 hits as he lasted just four innings of the contest and took the loss (3-4). Hobson walked four and struck out five, as well.
Leading the way for the Minutemen, who had eight members of the lineup post multiple hits in the contest, was Mike Gedman (4-for-6). Gedman scored four and drove in two, as well. Copa drove in a squad-best five RBI and was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle, going 3-for-5 and scoring twice. Multner chipped in four RBI and finished 3-for-5 with three runs scored.
Blasik paced Dayton with four RBI, while Dunsmore finished 3-for-5 with three RIB and two runs scored.
The teams will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday, May 8, with game two set to begin at 1 p.m.
