NASHVILLE – Hutson Miles' eighth inning double was enough for the Lipscomb University Baseball team to take down the University of Dayton to take the rubber-match of the first series of 2026, 9-6, Sunday afternoon into the evening from Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium. 

Final Score: Lipscomb 9, Dayton 6
Location: Nashville, Tennessee (Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium)
Records: Lipscomb (2-1), Dayton (1-2)

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bisons got things going in a hurry in the bottom of the first with a triple by Cam Pruitt. Two batters later, Damion Kenealy Jr. brought him home on a sac fly. 

After Aaron Stelogeannis, who reached on a hit by pitch, took second on that sac fly, Keaton Mahan brought him home for the RBI knock to make it 2-0 for the home squad. 

However, the lead would not last long, as Jevarra Martin Jr. was unable to get out of the second inning. After a strikeout, back-to-back singles and a fielder's choice evened the score for at 2-2. 

Two batters later, Dyrenseon Wouters made it a 3-2 lead for the visiting Flyers with his RBI knock before they added one more on run-scoring hit from Jason Bello. 

Lipscomb would counter, as they also were able to send Dayton's starter in Peyton Malecha to the showers in the second. With runners on the corners, freshman Cole Pippenger laced a double down the left field line to clear the bases and start the game over at four runs apiece. 

When Tanner Lyne came in relief for the Bisons in the second, he got the final out and sparked a 1-2-3 third on the mound. Despite a lead-off double in the fourth, Lyne retired seven of the first batters he faced as the score remained deadlocked at four. 

The Flyers used momentum from a 4-6-3 double play on defense in the fourth to their bats in the fifth. With two outs, Bobby Stand found the jetstream that was carrying the ball out to right field for a two-run shot to give Dayton the 6-4 edge midway through. 

In the bottom half of the frame, a lead-off double by Hutson Miles would be chased in by a Stelogeannis double to trim the deficit to 6-5.

Moving to the sixth, the Bisons went to the true freshman in Jackson Lee, and the Flyers decided to play small ball, as three straight batters would bunt on him. With runners on the corners and one out, the Columbia, Tennessee native retired the final two batters with a swinging strikeout, including three straight from Michael Smith Jr. to keep the ducks on the pond. 

After Lee tossed a clean seventh, the Bisons saw Stelogeannis get ahold of one, as he blasted a shot to left for home run number one of the year, and it could not have come at a better time as the Bisons have pulled even with the Flyers, 6-6, after seven innings. 

Brock Puckett came in after Lee allowed back-to-back walks and slammed the door and left runners on base in the top of the eighth. 

The Bisons followed suit with the Flyers in the bottom half with two straight walks by Keaton Mahan and Kai Holm. After back-to-back Bisons were punched out at the plate and a Brady Miller walk to load the bases, Miles came through with the clutch gene and cleared the bases with a two-bagger to straight-away center field to give the Bisons the 9-6 lead after eight. 

Puckett used 13 pitches in the ninth to set the Flyers in order to seal the series win. 

HERD NOTES
Lipscomb posted seven doubles in the win, matching the most in a game since moving to Division I in 2004. The last time it happened was also against Dayton on Feb. 19, 2011. 

KEY STATISTICS
Hutson Miles had a three-hit game, including two doubles, and his three-RBI double in the eighth was a part of a four-RBI day for the junior transfer. 

Aaron Stelogeannis launched his first home run of the season and finished 2-for-3 on the afternoon. 

Keaton Mahan also had a two-hit game with an RBI. 

Cole Pippenger, earning his first collegiate start, went 1-for-3 with an RBI double for the freshman. 

Speaking of freshmen: Jackson Lee was stellar in his collegiate debut as well, tossing 2.1 innings out of the bullpen for the Bisons to help keep the Flyers off the board. Brock Puckett (1-) came in with one out in the eighth and retired all five batters he faced to earn the win. 

UP NEXT
The Bisons will make the one-hour trek to Cookeville to take on Tennessee Tech on Tuesday afternoon.