How it Happened
Rhode Island (4-16, 0-1 A-10) scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, but it was not enough as the Rams fell to Dayton 9-5 in the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams Friday.

Dayton (10-13, 1-0 A-10) broke open a tight pitchers duel in the top of the fourth inning with a five-run rally. The big hit was a grand slam by Tiffany Ricks. Down 0-2 in the count, Ricks hit a line drive over the fence in left-center field.

Inside the Box Score:

• Sophomore Lauren Klepchick doubled, singled, walked, drove in one run and scored one run to pace the Rhode Island offense.
• Senior Jocelyn Mattison walked, drove in one run and scored two runa.
• Sophomore Emily Hendricks singled twice and scored a run. She now has a three-game hitting streak.
• Junior Megan Congro singled and drove in a pair of runs.
• Freshman Jenna Cubello singed and scored a run.
• Senior Stacey Fox also singled twice.
• Freshman Marylynn Muldowney singled and walked.
• Dayton leadoff hitter Rachel Archer reached base safely in all five of her plate appearances. Archer finished the game with three singles, two walks and three runs scored.
• Tiffany Ricks had four hits, six runs batted in and two runs scored. In addition to the grand slam, she also doubled once and singled twice.
• The first five batters in the Dayton lineup combined for 12 hits, eight runs scored and eight RBI.
• Before the game, a moment of silence was held in honor of longtime Massachusetts head coach Elaine Sortino, who died of cancer in August.

Stat of the Day
7 – The cold weather had an impact on the fielders, as the teams combined for seven errors. Despite the defensive miscues, only one run in the game was unearned.

What's Next
Rhode Island and Dayton will be back at it Saturday, March 21 for a single game at the URI Softball Complex. Game time is scheduled for noon.