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Wright State and Dayton Face Off in Dragons Stadium

WSU At Dragon’s Stadium | Photo by Noah Kindig | The Wright State Guardian


Wednesday night was a special one for Dayton baseball, as Wright State University and the University of Dayton faced off at Day Air Ballpark.

The energy

The great weather and 6,700 fans inside the park created a perfect atmosphere for baseball, as the two city rivals took the field for an action-filled Gem City Jam. The Flyers took the matchup 8-3 off of sophomore Mason Dobie’s six runs batted in, including a grand slam.

“Honestly, it was just a blackout feeling,” Dobie said about the grand slam. “I was just so fired up, everyone was so fired up. It was chaos, but it was so much fun.”

The game

The first half-inning looked promising for WSU, as a Sammy Sass shot up the middle brought in leadoff hitter Julian Greenwell to score; but, the Flyers hit back immediately, as leadoff hitter Ben Jones rounded the bases, and a double from Dobie scored two more.

From there, the Raiders were scoreless for seven of the following eight innings, as the Flyers switched five new pitchers to the mound. The Raider offense was constantly on its toes and could never get a read on what pitch was coming next.

“They did a really good job with their pitchers,” Alex Sogard, head coach for WSU, said. “They were quicker to the plate, and they did a good job mixing their pitches.”

The Flyers would fill up the bases in the third inning, and Dobie became the night’s hero against Tristan Haught. Dobie sat on a fastball and blasted it over the right field fence for a 7-1 Flyer lead.

“I got that double in the first inning off of a fastball,” Dobie said. “I went up to my buddy who is a pitcher, and he said just hit fastball. I sat fastball, reacted and got a hold of it.”

Dobie’s six RBIs was enough to carry the Flyers over the Raiders, as the Flyers held the lead for the rest of the game. UD’s pitchers only allowed two more runs in eight innings, ending the match 8-3.

A growing rivalry

The matchup between WSU and UD in a professional baseball stadium was a great community event, bringing thousands of fans from both sides to the game. The rivalry between the two sides has been growing steadily for the past few years and will continue to grow in the coming games.

Last season, WSU crushed the Flyers 14-0 in a matchup at Nischwitz Stadium, only for the Flyers to beat the Raiders at UD. The Flyers have lost 17 games straight to WSU until that point, winning for the first time since 2009.

“Last year, early on, they beat us, and then we beat them at our place,” Dobie said. “That was the first time we had beaten them in a long time. Now, I think we’re kind of on the map. I think it’s going to be a great rivalry, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

Whether the two teams face off at Nischwitz Stadium or at UD in the future, the matchup at Day Air Ballpark was a special one for both teams.

“It was an incredible atmosphere,” Sogard said. “It’s a great, great night for Dayton baseball. I wish we could have given a bit of a better show, but it was a great opportunity to play this one.”


Noah Kindig

Sports Reporter

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