DAYTON — University of Dayton redshirt junior first baseman Bobby Stang and senior shortstop Dyrenson Wouters hit back-to-back home runs in the fifth inning as the Flyers beat Wright State 9-5 on Wednedsay at Day Air Ballpark.

Stang finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs scored and a walk, Wouters went 2-for-5 with a double and the Dayton pitching staff combined to strike out 13 Raiders led by five punchouts from sophomore left-handed starting pitcher Carson Samuels.

The Flyers (20-16, 5-10 Atlantic 10) have won consecutive games after run-ruling Bowling Green 19-6 Tuesday on the road.

“I thought we played very well,” Dayton coach Jayson King said. “We did a good job on the mound (Tuesday). We hit the ball well, and I think we carried it over to today. But it all starts with the pitching, and I think Samuels did a good job just getting us into the game and then allowing us to use the guys how we wanted them out of the bullpen, but I really liked how the guys played today.”

Dayton and Wright State (17-16, 11-1 Horizon League) last met in 2023. They were supposed to play at Day Air Ballpark last year until the game was canceled due to weather.

“It’s unreal,” Stang said. “You look around, there’s a bunch of fans all over the place cheering for you, so it’s a great feeling, and even better feeling being able to come out on top and get the win for everybody.”

Wright State got on the scoreboard first when redshirt freshman first baseman Keegan Holmstrom singled home redshirt sophomore second baseman Hunter Warren who doubled to lead off the game.

The Flyers tied it at one run apiece in the bottom of the second inning when sophomore third baseman Jason Bello hit a sacrifice fly that scored Stang who was hit by a pitch with one out and advanced on Wouters’ double.

Dayton took its first lead in the third inning when junior catcher Ryan MacDougall scored on a passed ball with bases loaded and two outs, giving the Flyers a 2-1 edge.

Raiders junior left fielder JP Peltier belted a two-run home run in the top of the fifth inning that flipped the score back in Wright State’s favor, though it wouldn’t last long.

Stang drove a two-out offering from Wright State sophomore southpaw J.J. Thompson to deep center field in the bottom half of the fifth inning, and the ball clanked off the batter’s eye, giving Dayton a 4-3 lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

“I’m always looking for a heater up,” Stang said. “Got my pitch, didn’t miss it. Got the barrel on it, and it’s a great feeling. It was able to fly out of here, and then (Wouters) followed it up with another one (to) extend the lead, so I mean, that was just awesome.”

Stang, a native of Massapequa, New York, has collected multiple hits in each game of Dayton’s win streak.

“That was a big swing,” King said. “I mean, here home runs are, like, it seems like more than one run. You got a big crowd that’s really into it. You got the horn, so I think there’s a lot that went into that swing, for sure. But you know, when you beat a good team, usually it’s a bunch of different things, and today, we played good defense, we hit the ball well and we pitched well.”

Junior center fielder Michael Smith Jr. was among four Flyers with multi-hit games, and he plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning on a single. Smith finished 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two walks and two runs scored.

Three Raiders collected two hits apiece, though all but two starters struck out at least once. Thompson, who walked six Dayton batters, drew the loss.

“I think it’s tough to beat anyone when you give 12 free bases, and they ran into a couple balls, but we really gifted them a lot,” Wright State coach Alex Sogard said. “We struck out 13 times, and just, we had a few opportunities with runners on base, just didn’t capitalize when we got those opportunities.”

The Flyers suffered a three-game sweep against A-10 foe Saint Joseph’s last weekend.

After Wednesday’s victory against the Raiders, Dayton will play its next seven on the road.

“This is definitely something we needed,” Stang said. “We’ve definitely hit a little tough stretch recently, but after yesterday and today, I think we’re feeling pretty good and ready to go into this weekend and just carry it on through the rest of the year.”