BOX SCORE I PLAY-BY-PLAY

DAYTON, Ohio. – Senior Anthony Ottrando smashed two home runs and recorded a team-best three RBI to power the Eastern Kentucky University baseball team past Dayton, 7-5, on Tuesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Stadium.

The win vaults EKU above .500 for the year at 23-22 while the loss drops Dayton to 20-29 on the spring.

Sophomore right-hander Matt Harris (4-5) earned the win by pitching a scoreless fifth inning. Making his first appearance since April 13, freshman right-hander Austin Rexroat started for the Colonels and went two strong innings, surrendering no runs on two hits.

The Colonels used six pitchers on the afternoon. The final one, junior right-hander Ryne Purcell, came on in the ninth and allowed just one run to earn his ninth save of the season. It was Purcell’s first save in exactly a month.

Ottrando hit a solo home run in the top of the fourth and then gave the Colonels some breathing room with a two-run jack in the top of the ninth that put EKU up, 7-4. The first baseman from Ocala, Fla. now leads the Colonels with 15 home runs and 64 RBI on the season. He needs only nine more RBI to take sole possession of third place on the school’s single season RBI list. He would have to average three RBI over the Colonels’ last seven games to break the single season record.

Ottrando is now 6-for-11 with eight RBI and three home runs in three career games against the Flyers.

Sophomore Richie Rodriguez and senior Joey Stevens both collected three hits on the day for the Colonels. With his performance, Rodriguez now leads EKU with a .377 batting average.

Freshman right-hander Ian Gardeck (3-2) picked up the loss for Dayton, going two innings and allowing three runs (only two of them earned) on two hits.

Aaron Dunsmore had a big day for the Flyers at the plate, batting 3-for-5 with a game-high four RBI and a run scored.

Dayton took an early lead in the bottom of the third when Dunsmore crushed a two-run double to dead center field. After Ottrando’s first bomb in the top of the fourth cut the lead to one, Dunsmore made it 4-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run to right center.

The Colonels took advantage of sloppy play by the Flyers in the top of the seventh to plate four runs and take the lead. After sophomore Jacob Daniel pushed across the first run of the inning with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, the Colonels would score their next three runs on a wild pitch, an error on the catcher and a balk.

EKU, though, lead just 5-4 heading into the final inning before junior Jayson Langfels was plunked by a pitch with one out, giving way to Ottrando who promptly blasted a home run to center field that gave the Colonels some much-needed insurance runs.

Purcell surrendered a solo home run in the bottom of the inning, but it was too little too late for the Flyers.

EKU returns to action this weekend with a crucial OVC series with Jacksonville State at Turkey Hughes Field. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is at 1:00 p.m.