The grass was green and freshly cut. The parking lot was overflowing and people crowded the stands. The smell of popcorn brought back thoughts of younger days when you could get a cheap seat at a major league baseball game and actually see the faces of the players. It brought back the feeling of youth when watching a game from the stands you actually felt like you were a part of the game not just a spectator.

Last Saturday, the University of Dayton’s Time Warner Cable Stadium was officially dedicated. There were special guests and important University employees there, but it was really more than that. As a spectator in the stands, you had a feeling that the University of Dayton had just given you a shiny new bicycle and placed it under the Christmas tree.

This isn’t like the old days when you sat on a chair that you provided or on the grass by Stewart Hall or even when you graduated to sitting in the temporary stands that UD had constructed. This stadium is first class all the way and they have made it so affordable, you can take your entire family without taking out a second mortgage. There is nothing like a $2 front row seat to make you enjoy a baseball game.

But there is a lot more to do at TWC Stadium than eat popcorn. There is a real life baseball team that plays there every week. Tony Vittorio has put together a team that truly is contending for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. It is a team that has top-flight pitchers and a line-up that features five guys hitting over .335.

The opposition on Saturday was the Duquesne Dukes, one of several teams fighting for the last couple of spots in the tournament. The A-10 Tournament takes the top two teams from each division and the two remaining teams with the best conference record. Coming into the weekend, UD was fighting Richmond and George Washington for the top spots in the division. Duquesne lurked just one game back with the season quickly coming to a close. A slip this weekend would certainly put a chokehold on UD’s chances for the post season.

Vittorio has a significant 1-2 punch in Luke Trubee and Craig Stammen. Going into the weekend, the duo was 14-7 with an ERA well under 3.00. Stammen started the first game and completely throttled Duquesne. The Flyers won 6-2 and opened up a two game lead on the Dukes. Everyone in the stands wearing red and blue and those in the first base dugout had to feel pretty good about game two knowing that Trubee would be throwing the horsehide for the home team.

The Flyers opened up a 4-2 lead in the second on Galen Shumm’s three run dinger. Duquesne had scratched together a couple of runs on seeing-eye hits, but when a record-setting pitcher like Trubee is on the mound you have to like your chances. All of a sudden, however, those Texas Leaguers became line drives and one of the weakest hitting teams in the A-10 had lit up one of the best pitchers in the history of UD.

After the 10-5 defeat, that two game lead had shrunk to only one. Now, the single game on Mother’s Day was of significant importance. A loss would drop the Flyers into a tie for third place with La Salle only a game or two back with six to play. The weight of the world was now placed on the back of starting pitcher Kaleb Thompson.

Thompson entered the game with a 4-3 record and an ERA just over 4.00. He didn’t need to be told the significance of his performance. He set down the Dukes in the top of the first and sat down with the hope that the Flyers would score and give him a lead to work with.

He was not to be disappointed. The Flyers began what turn into a laugher very quickly by scoring five in the first and adding another five in the fourth inning. Center fielder Bobby Getty led the hit parade with four hits including his fifth home run and added four runs scored and four RBIs. Thompson pitched seven strong innings and the Flyers went on to a 14-2 victory.

On a day that could have found the Flyers gasping for air, they stung the ball, pitched well and found themselves in a tie for second and only one game behind George Washington. With six games remaining, three at Xavier and three at home against Richmond, everything is on the line for the Flyers in the next ten days.

When Richmond comes to town on May 19, the Flyers could be fighting for first place or just a shot at the A-10 Tournament. If it’s a nice day, take the afternoon off and catch a Flyer double header at a park that will remind you of when your dad used to take you to games and buy you probably one too many sno-cones. Treat yourself to some fun baseball.