DAYTON, Ohio (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth affair that stretched from afternoon into evening, the Dayton Flyers staged a stunning six-run rally in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off with a 10-9 victory over the Maine Black Bears on Saturday at Woerner Field.

The win improved Dayton’s record to 11-3, while Maine fell to a difficult 2-12.

The game appeared to be slipping away from the Flyers in the top of the ninth. Holding a 9-5 lead, Maine added two crucial insurance runs when Aidan Bardi doubled down the left field line, scoring Troy Carpenter and pinch-runner Chris Bear. That gave the Black Bears a commanding 9-5 advantage heading to the final half-inning.

What followed was a chaotic and error-aided comeback that defined the contest. Maine reliever Jack Donlin, who entered to start the ninth, immediately walked Ryan MacDougall. An error by shortstop Albert De La Rosa on a ball hit by J. Bello loaded the bases with no outs. After a walk to B. Stang forced in one run, making it 9-6, Maine turned to Owen Wheeler on the mound.

Wheeler recorded a strikeout, but a passed ball allowed another run to score. After another walk re-loaded the bases, G. Carpenter hit a fielder’s choice that brought home Bello, cutting the deficit to 9-7. D. MacDougall was then hit by a pitch, setting the stage for the final blows.

With the bases loaded again, M. Smith singled sharply to shortstop, driving in two runs to tie the game at 9-9. The next batter, C. Lynch, completed the improbable rally by singling through the right side, scoring MacDougall with the winning run and sending the Flyers into a celebration.

The dramatic finish overshadowed a strong offensive day for Maine, which out-hit Dayton 12-10. Juju Stevens led the Black Bears, going 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the first inning. Quinn Murphy added a two-run homer in the fourth, and Bardi finished with two RBIs.

Dayton’s early offense was powered by a four-run first inning, keyed by a two-run homer from Stang, which immediately answered Stevens’ first-inning shot. The Flyers chipped away with a sacrifice fly in the third but were largely held in check until the final frame, stranding multiple runners in the middle innings.

Maine built its lead with a three-run homer from Brody Rasmus in the second and Murphy’s two-run blast in the fourth, seemingly taking control of the game before the late collapse.

The two teams conclude their three-game series on Sunday.