MERION STATION, Pa. – Carson Applegate recorded his second walk-off hit in as many games as the Saint Joseph's baseball team topped Dayton, 4-3, on a windy Sunday at Smithson Field.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Saint Joseph's (20-20 overall, 14-7 Atlantic 10) took the lead in the first inning as Applegate, Joey Pagano, and Owen Petrich drew three consecutive walks and Blake Primrose followed with a groundout to score the game's first run.
 
• Dayton (23-23 overall, 11-10 Atlantic 10) went in front in the third as Ty Mainolfi lofted a two-run home run into the jet stream and out to right.
 
• The Hawks answered in the fourth.  Tim Dickinson led off with a double before Aidan Duda reached on a dropped fly ball to put runners on second and third with nobody out.  Three batters later, Alex Kelsey hit an infield single off the Dayton pitcher to plate Dickinson and tie the game.
 
• Applegate then followed with an RBI single of his own through the left side to give the Hawks a 3-2 lead after four.
 
• That's where it stayed until the ninth, in large part due to Colton Book, who retired 10 of 11 hitters from the third through sixth innings.
 
• The Flyers were down to their final out before Mason Dobie laced a double to right center to score Aidan Zorn and tie the game.
 
• In the bottom of the ninth, Colin Myers drew a pinch-hit walk and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Joey Gale.  After Kelsey reached on an infield single, Applegate ripped a 3-2 pitch from Bennett LaPalm into the left center field gap to score Myers and send the Hawks pouring out of the dugout and up the first base line for the second time in three days.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Matt Fitzgibbon retired the only batter he faced in the top of the ninth to record the win.  LaPalm allowed one run on two hits in four innings of relief to take the loss.
 
• Book finished another outstanding outing with eight innings pitched, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk.  He struck out 13 in the game, including eight out of 10 at one point, to record his fourth game of 13-plus strikeouts on the season.  He also notched his 100th strikeout of the year, becoming the first Hawk pitcher to strike out 100 hitters in a single season.
 
• Applegate finished with two hits and two runs batted in, while Kelsey added two hits as well.  Applegate and Dickinson also reached base three times apiece.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks host Villanova on Tuesday afternoon before heading to George Mason for a weekend series beginning on Friday.