Career Day from Will Lozinak, Coupled With an Offensive Explosion Leads Baseball Past Dayton Monday

BOX SCORE

MOREHEAD, Ky. – Behind a stellar pitching performance from starting pitcher Will Lozinak and an offensive explosion supporting him, Morehead State baseball dispatched of Dayton 19-5 in a non-conference meeting Monday night at Allen Field.

The Hollidaysburg, Pa. native, Lozinak, delivered a career-outing Monday, tying career-highs by pitching seven complete innings while striking out eight batters. He scattered four hits, surrendering two runs—one of which was earned—to pick up his first victory of the season.

In support of Lozinak, Morehead State found its power stroke, launching five home runs on the evening with redshirt freshman leftfielder Bryce Ray crushing the first two long balls of his career, tallying his first career multi-hit, multi-home run, and multi-RBI game. Junior catcher Jack Gardner and seniors, first baseman Dom Peroni and rightfielder Arthur Sells each homered, as Gardner's home run was the first of his career in an Eagle uniform.

The Eagles improved to 5-10 on the year while Dayton dropped to 6-8. Morehead State returns to action this weekend, facing in-state and Ohio Valley Conference rival Eastern Kentucky for a three-game set at Earle Combs Stadium in Richmond, Ky. The series features 4:00 p.m. ET (Friday), 2 p.m. (Saturday), and 1 p.m. (Sunday) first pitch times.

HOW IT HAPPENED
B1: Reaching with a walk and being balked into scoring position, senior centerfielder Ryan Layne came into score on a single to rightfield by senior designated hitter Jon Burghardt. Two batters later, Sells would deliver the first of his career-high-tying four RBI by lacing a ball off the wall in right, plating Burghardt from second. Lifting a ball into leftfield, Peroni used a sacrifice fly to extend the Morehead State lead before Gardner provided the biggest fireworks of the inning, uncorking on a ball to the deepest portion of the ballpark to drive home three more runs.

B2: Stringing together three one-out hits—a single from Burghardt, a double from redshirt junior Stephen Hill, and a three-run home run from Sells—Morehead State expanded its lead on Sells homer to straightaway centerfield.

B4: After getting its first run of the inning courtesy of a wild pitch, Gardner collected his second extra-base hit, splitting the gap for a double to drive in two more runs. Unleashing his first long ball of the season, Ray unloaded on a ball to leftfield to drive in two more runs before Burghardt plated the frame's final run with a single to right.

B5: The Eagles tacked on an additional run in the inning as Peroni destroyed a 2-0 pitch to left for his team-leading fourth home run of the season, lengthening the Morehead State lead to 16-0.

T6: Putting the Flyers on the board, designated hitter Marcos Pujols homered to left-center, plating two.

B7: Connecting on his second long ball of the game, Ray deposited another ball—a 3-2 fastball—over the wall in left.

T8: Dayton plated three additional runs in the frame using a two-run homer from leftfielder Jared Howell and an RBI single from second baseman Mariano Ricciardi.

B8: Drawing a walk with the bases loaded, redshirt junior shortstop Logan Goodnight brought in a run as a second run scored as the 3-2 pitch bound away from the catcher, allowing Hill to score from second on the wild pitch.



NOTABLE
Pitching 7.0 innings and striking out eight, junior righty Will Lozinak tied his longest career outing while tying his career-high strikeout total doing both for the first time since May 25, 2019, against Austin Peay and May 26, 2018, versus Eastern Kentucky, respectively. With a pair of home runs and three RBI, redshirt freshman outfielder Bryce Ray registered his first career multi-hit, multi-homer, and multi-RBI game.

Collecting a pair of extra-base hits, including his first career Morehead State home run—a three-run shot—and a two-run double, junior catcher Jack Gardner established a career-high with 5 runs batted in.

Driving in four runs, including three with a home run in the fourth inning, senior outfielder Arthur Sells tied his career-high for RBI, equaling his total from the March 17, 2019 contest against Eastern Kentucky.

Hitting five home runs against Dayton, Morehead State hit four or more home runs in a game for the first time since May 16, 2019, while hitting five or more home runs in a game for the first time since the 2018 season.