Box score (PDF)

DAYTON, Ohio – The Patriots dropped the first game of their series to the Flyers, 6-5 in 11 innings, on Friday at Woerner Field in Dayton, Ohio.

Mason (15-16, 3-4 A10) took the lead against Dayton (21-12, 5-2 A10) senior starter Eli Majick in the top of the first inning.

Graduate student second baseman South Trimble led off with a single, senior center fielder Jordan Smith followed with a double and junior first baseman Reece Woody walked to load the bases with no outs.

Graduate student left fielder then singled to right field to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.  Junior catcher Connor Dykstra drove in a run with a groundout to make it a 2-0 game.

Mason senior starter Nick Martins retired the first five batters he faced before a 53-minute weather delay.  After the storm passed, Martins picked up where he left off and retired six of the next nine Flyers batters.

With two outs in the top of the fourth, Trimble drew a walk and Smith belted his fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the right-center field fence to double the Patriots advantage to 4-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, Dayton sent eight batters to the plate and scored four runs on two hits and two walks to tie the score 4-4.

After a walk and a hit batter by Martins, freshman reliever Shaun Okeeffe entered the game.  After a walk loaded the bases, Flyers' sophomore left fielder Alejandro Cazorla cleared the bases with a three-run double to make it a one-run game.

With two outs and runners on the corners, Dayton freshman second baseman David Mendez lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to tie the game.

The teams then combined for four scoreless innings.  Mason sophomore Owen Stewart tossed two scoreless frames and junior Chad Gartland kept the Flyers off the board in the seventh, eighth and ninth.

In the top of the 10th, the Patriots reclaimed the lead against Flyers senior reliever Nick Wissman when Dykstra led off with his fourth home run of the season, a blast over the left field fence to make the score 5-4.

In the home half of the inning, Cazorla led off with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, to even the score, 5-5.

The Flyers got a leadoff double in the bottom of the 11th.  The Patriots then summoned graduate student Luke Goodyear from the bullpen.

A walk and an intentional walk loaded the bases and Cazorla drove in his fifth run of the game with a sacrifice fly for the 6-5 walk-off win.

For the Patriots, Martins allowed two runs on two hits in 4.0 innings.  Okeeffe surrendered two runs on two hits.  Stewart tossed 2.0 innings on no-hit ball.  Gartland (1-3) gave up two runs on five hits in 4.0 innings.

For the Flyers, Majick allowed four runs on nine hits in 5.1 innings.  Wissman (7-1) gave up one run on three hits in 5.2 innings and earned the win.

Senior right fielder Derek Wood went 3-for-3 with a walk.  Smith was 2-for-6 with a home run, double, two RBI and two runs scored.  Jones finished 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI.

The Patriots and Flyers play the middle game of the series on Saturday afternoon with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. at Woerner Field in Dayton, Ohio.