LAKE COUNTY 6, DRAGONS 4
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Lake County (R-H-E): 6-10-1; Dayton (R-H-E): 4-9-0
Win: Donovan Zsak (1-0); Loss: Dylan Simmons (2-1); Save: Logan McGuire (1)
HR: Dayton: Alfredo Alcantara (5th, 1 on base in second inning); Yerlin Confidan (3rd, 0 on base in eighth inning). HR: Lake County: None
Dayton, Ohio—Jace LaViolette delivered a tie-breaking two-run double in the top of the ninth inning and the Lake County Captains withstood an eventful bottom of the ninth to defeat the Dayton Dragons 6-4 on Friday night. The Captains have won three of the first four games in the six-game series.
A crowd of 8,151 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
Game Recap: Lake County led the Dragons 4-3 when Dayton’s Yerlin Confidan delivered a game-tying solo home run to left field in the bottom of the eighth inning. The Captains responded with two runs in the top of the ninth to regain the lead, 6-4.
The bottom of the ninth featured no scoring but evolved into one of the most intense scenes in memory at Day Air Ballpark as two different Lake County pitchers were ejected in the same inning, along with Dragons manager Julio Morillo.
The source for the controversy came when Dayton’s Esmith Pineda led off the inning and ran the count to 3-2. The payoff pitch came up and in on Pineda and struck the Dayton batter. Replays from multiple angles clearly showed that the pitch hit the batter on the elbow. The plate umpire, Eli Cox, who did not have the benefit of replay, ruled that the pitch hit the bat of Pineda, and the umpire incorrectly called it a foul ball. The Dragons dugout erupted in anger, and the two umpires on the field huddled to discuss the play. The ruling of a foul ball was maintained, and Morillo stormed onto the field, was immediately ejected, and continued to express his anger at the call for the next couple of minutes before eventually leaving the field and the dugout.
When play resumed, Pineda struck out swinging on the subsequent 3-2 pitch for the first out of the inning. As Pineda turned toward the Dayton dugout, the Lake County pitcher, Donovan Zsak, made several gestures in the direction of the Dragons team, resulting in an on-field altercation involving players on both teams. No major physical contact was apparent, but Zsak was ejected for his actions by the plate umpire.
Zsak was replaced by Lake County reliever Luis Flores, who was given, by rule, additional time to warm up since he had to not been throwing in the bullpen. When Flores was ready, his first pitch struck Dayton batter Johnny Ascanio, and Flores was immediately ejected, the second Captains pitcher ejected in the same inning.
Logan McGuire then entered the game to pitch, and he also received extra time to warm up in a rare case where the Captains summoned two cold pitchers from the bullpen in the same inning. McGuire recorded the final two outs in the inning as Lake County held on to win, 6-4.
Dayton starting pitcher Reynardo Cruz worked the first five innings, allowing three runs on four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts. Jonah Hurney replaced Cruz and tossed three innings, allowing one run. Dylan Simmons (2-1) pitched the ninth for the Dragons and was charged with the loss, allowing three hits, a walk, and two runs.
Along with Confidan’s home run, Alfredo Alcantara hit a two-run home run for Dayton, giving the Dragons home runs in 11 straight games for the first time since 2017. The Dragons had nine hits in the game including two each by Confidan, Alcantara, and Carter Graham.
With the loss, the Dragons fell to three and one-half games behind first place Great Lakes.
Up Next: The Dragons (20-17) host the Captains (18-18) again on Saturday night at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District in the fifth game of a six-game series. Jose Montero, who was the Dragons top starting pitcher in 2025, will make his first start of 2026 with the Dragons after beginning the year with Double-A Chattanooga. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
On the Air: The Dragons game on Sunday will be televised live in the Dayton market on the Dayton CW (Channel 23; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. Games can be heard on smart phones, iPads, and other mobile devices via the free Dragons Mobile App, or on a computer at wone.com. Games are also available on HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2.