UMass Baseball Outlasts Dayton In 12 Innings To Complete Sweep

March 22, 2015

DAYTON, Ohio - Sophomore Bryce Maher's two-run single with one out in the top of the 12th helped lift UMass baseball to a 10-8 victory over Dayton, completing the weekend sweep in extra innings on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Minutemen improve to 3-0 in Atlantic 10 play, 3-5 overall, while the Flyers fall to 0-3 in conference action, 6-15 overall.

UMass opened the scoring in the top of the second as senior Paul Yanakopulos reached on a fielder's choice and later crossed the plate on an error by Dayton second baseman Sergio Plasencia.

The Flyers took their first and only lead of the weekend with a two-run bottom of the third. After a hit batter and a pair of walks loaded the bases, A.J. Ryan drove in Dayton's first run of the contest with an RBI single. Aaron Huesman then gave the squad a 2-1 advantage, picking up an RBI on a fielder's choice.

However, the Minutemen climbed back in front in their next turn at bat. A walk to sophomore Dylan Morris followed by a sacrifice and an error, set up a first and third, one out, situation for freshman Hunter Carey. Carey drove a ball back through the infield to plate Morris and junior Vinny Scifo followed with an RBI single to left to score sophomore Matt Bare, who reached on the error earlier in the frame. A bases loaded walk and a hit by pitch for redshirt seniors Rob McLam and Adam Picard later forced home UMass' third and fourth runs of the inning to move the score to 5-2.

The Minutemen pushed their advantage to 7-2, scoring in the fifth and again in the sixth. Yanakopulos led off UMass' half of the fifth with a single to left and later came home on a ground ball of the bat of senior Kyle Adie. He then picked up an RBI the following inning on a sacrifice bunt that scored McLam.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Flyers closed the gap to 7-3. Zach Schira led off with a double to center and came around to score following a pair of groundouts.

Dayton later tied the score at seven apiece with four runs on just one hit in the bottom of the eighth. Plasencia and Alex Harris both drew bases loaded walks that forced in the Flyers' third and fourth of the afternoon, while Plasencia and Robbie Doring crossed the plate on a fielder's choice that leveled things up at 7-7.

UMass regained the advantage in the top of the 10th as Adie legged out an infield single, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single to left by McLam.

The Flyers promptly tied the score once more though in the bottom of the inning. Doring singled with one away, stole second and Plasencia drove him in with an RBI single to center.

After a play at the plate ended Dayton's half of the 11th, the Minutemen went on to take a 10-8 lead in the top of the 12th. A pair of walks and an error set up a one-out, two run single to center by Maher that broke the 8-8 deadlock.

Junior Ben Panunzio then finished off the Flyers in the bottom half to earn the win (1-0) as he tossed two innings of shutout relief and allowed three hits, walking one. Tyson Schnitkey suffered the loss (1-2) for Dayton, letting up two runs, one earned, on one hit with three walks over 1.1 innings on the mound.

In a balanced effort at the plate, eight UMass batters combined for the team's nine hits on the day with McLam finishing as the lone Minuteman with a multi-hit afternoon, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Maher drove in two, as well, while Yanakopulos and Scifo both scored twice.

UMass will be back in action next Friday, March 27, when the squad will travel to Richmond, Va., for game one of its Atlantic 10 series at VCU.

Scoreboard