DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — Sawyer Jensen struck out eight over six strong innings and Grayson Carpenter delivered a decisive two-run homer as the Dayton Flyers rallied to defeat the Fordham Rams 5-3 on Friday afternoon in an Atlantic 10 Conference opener at Woerner Field.

The Flyers, overcoming an early deficit, improved to 16-12 overall and 1-0 in league play. The Rams dropped to 13-15 and 0-1 in the conference.

The most important sequence of the game unfolded in the bottom of the fifth inning, erasing Fordham’s lead and propelling Dayton ahead for good. Trailing 3-2, Dayton’s Alex Heberlie sparked the rally with a one-out single to center. Carpenter then stepped in against Fordham starter Beau Elson and launched a two-run shot to left-center field, putting the Flyers in front 4-3. The homer capitalized on the momentum generated by Colin Lynch’s solo blast in the fourth, which had cut Fordham’s lead to one run.

Jensen, Dayton’s top star, weathered early command issues to earn the win. He allowed two earned runs on four hits, walking three and hitting three batters, but consistently worked out of trouble. His eight strikeouts were pivotal, including stranding the bases loaded in the second inning. This performance marked a rebound from his previous start against Davidson, where he allowed four earned runs.

Fordham had built its lead in the fourth. Mason Dean doubled down the left-field line, and Tommy Markey followed with a two-run single through the right side, scoring Joe Hanawalt and Dean to make it 3-1.

Elson was effective yet uneven for Fordham, striking out eight over 5 2/3 innings but taking the loss. He allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits and three walks. His outing was bookended by dominant relief from Declan Cawley, who threw 2 1/3 perfect innings with four strikeouts after replacing Elson in the sixth.

Dayton added a critical insurance run in the sixth without a hit. Ben Stang reached on an error, advanced to third on a flyout, and scored on a well-executed squeeze bunt single by Dyrenson Wouters, making it 5-3.

Fordham mounted a final threat in the ninth against Dayton reliever Austin McNabb. After a leadoff hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice, a wild pitch put the tying run in scoring position. Liam McAndrews delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 5-3, and Anthony Grabau followed with a single. But McNabb induced a game-ending fielder’s choice to secure his three-inning save.

The game defied the pregame projection from Interstat’s simulator, which had forecast a 7-6 Fordham victory, though Dayton’s ELO rating gave them a 59.4% probability to win.

Both teams finished with six hits. Markey drove in two for Fordham, while Carpenter’s two RBIs led Dayton. Wouters finished with a hit, an RBI, and two stolen bases.

The teams continue the three-game series Saturday afternoon.