BRONX, N.Y. -- Third-seeded Dayton got three runs in the bottom of the sixth to break a game-long one-run stalemate and defeat No. 6 Rhode Island, 4-1 in the opening round of the 2023 Atlantic 10 Conference Softball Championship at Fordham Bahoshy Softball Complex.
 
The Flyers (34-18) advance to face No. 2 Loyola Chicago Thursday at 2:30 pm ET. Rhody (22-30-1) falls into the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament to play No. 5 Fordham in Wednesday’s late game.
 
Both teams scored first-inning runs, and then didn’t cross the plate again until Dayton’s sixth-inning heroics broke the tie. Kara Gunter opened the penultimate inning with a single to left and promptly stole second. Maddie Kapsimalis followed with a single of her own that advanced Gunter to third.
 
A walk by Nico Papavasiliou pushed Molly Grace, who was pinch running for Kapsimalis to second and loaded the bases. Chloe Wong’s sacrifice to right drove in the speedy Gunter, with Grace on her heels, scoring with the help of a throwing error.  Papavasiliou then finished the scoring on an RBI single to right by Kaelene Walter.
 
A-10 Rookie of the Year Izzy Kemp then entered the circle to close out the game for UD, retiring the three batters she faced with just 15 pitches, striking out two of Rhody’s final three batters.
 
Kemp earned the save for her efforts, her sixth of the year. Kallie Jones (5-3), who pitched two innings for the Flyers, gave up two hits with no runs and no walks and was the pitcher of record when UD scored its three runs.
 
Rachel Zingerman led the Rams at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance, including a double in the first, but it was Jessica Henneley’s RBI single in the first that led off the scoring for the game. After Zingerman’s double, a pair of walks by Elena Gonzales and Kylie Bulinski loaded the bases. Skyler Rapuano hit into a fielder’s choice to shortstop that stopped Zingerman at the plate, but Henneley’s hit two pitches later drove in Gonzales for the first run of the game.
 
A trio of singles by Emily Daniel, Emma Schutter and Kapsimalis in the bottom of the frame tied the score at one. With Daniel and Schutter, the A-10 Player of the Year, on base, Kapsimalis’ single to center allowed Daniel to score from second. Kapsimalis and Walter led UD with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. Three players each had one RBI to lead the Flyers – Kapsimalis, Wong and Walter.
 
Ashley Hibbard (4-3) took the loss for URI, allowing eight hits and four runs (three earned) with two walks and a strikeout.