MERION STATION, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's baseball team split a doubleheader with Dayton at Smithson Field on Friday afternoon.  In the opener, Dayton took a big lead in the middle innings and came away with a 29-1 victory; in the second game of the day, Carson Applegate's walk-off single gave the Hawks a 6-5 win.
 
GAME 1: Dayton 29, Saint Joseph's 1
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• Dayton (23-22 overall, 11-9 Atlantic 10) got one in the third and three in the fourth, but it was a 16-run fifth that proved to be the consequential frame.
 
• The Hawks got one back in the bottom of the inning as Joey Gale and Alex Kelsey hit back-to-back singles and Colin Myers brought home Gale with a sacrifice fly.
 
• That would be it for SJU, and the Flyers would tack on runs in the sixth, seventh, and ninth innings to set the final margin.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Chris Peguero allowed a run on six hits in five innings to earn the win for Dayton, while Frank Ciccone took the loss for Saint Joseph's after allowing eight runs on 10 hits while fanning five in four-plus innings.
 
• Kelsey collected a pair of hits for the Hawks.
 
• Darius Adkins recorded his first collegiate plate appearance and his first hit.
 
GAME 2: Saint Joseph's 6, Dayton 5
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Flyers took an early lead on a solo home run by Bobby Stang in the second.
 
• Saint Joseph's (19-20 overall, 13-7 Atlantic 10) came to life in the bottom of the third.  Dean Bergmann started things off with a single before Gale reached on an error.  Kelsey then beat out a bunt single to load the bases for Applegate, who drew a walk to force in a run and tie the game.
 
• Joey Pagano and Owen Petrich followed with consecutive RBI singles to put the Hawks ahead, 3-1, before a walk to Blake Primrose forced in another run and chased UD starter J.J. Gatti from the game.  Tim Dickinson then followed with an RBI groundout that allowed Pagano to score and stretch the lead to 5-1.
 
• Michael DiMartini brought Dayton back into the game with an RBI single in the fifth and a game-tying three-run home run in the sixth.
 
• Both bullpens kept things level until the ninth.  Gale led off and once again reached on an error before being sacrificed to second by Kelsey.  After a wild pitch moved Gale to third, Applegate ripped a ball into the gap in left center to score the game-winning run.
 
BEHIND THE BOX SCORE
• Luke Parise tossed a scoreless ninth to earn the win, while Michael Dudolski was charged with an unearned run in an inning and a third of hitless relief to take the loss.
 
• Nathan Stein started for the Hawks and allowed three runs, two of them earned, on seven hits while striking out a season-high seven in five and two-thirds innings, while Gatti allowed five runs on four hits in two-plus innings for the Flyers.
 
• The top five hitters in the Hawk lineup each recorded a base hit, while Gale led the way with two runs scored.
 
UP NEXT
The teams will wrap up the series on Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for noon.