GREAT LAKES 8, DRAGONS 7
Click here for the box score
Great Lakes (R-H-E): 8-6-1; Dayton (R-H-E): 7-3-0
Win: Tyler Gough (2-0); Loss: Luke Hayden (3-2); Save: Davis Chastain (4)
HR: Dayton: None HR: Great Lakes: Eduardo Quintero (10th, 0 on base in fifth inning); Emil Morales (13th, 2 on base in seventh inning).
Dayton, Ohio—The Great Lakes Loons took an 8-2 lead to the bottom of the ninth inning and fought off a furious Dayton comeback attempt as the Loons held on to win, 8-7. The Dragons left the tying run at third base in the ninth.
The Dragons did not hit a home run in a game for the first time since July 12 and saw their consecutive game home run streak end at 14 games, one short of the club record.
A crowd of 7,659 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
Recap: Great Lakes took advantage of some early wildness by Dragons starting pitcher Luke Hayden to score two runs in the first inning. Hayden hit the first batter of the game with his second pitch and then issued a walk to the second hitter. Chase Harlan’s one-out single brought in the first run, and an RBI groundout drove in the second. Great Lakes added another run in the fifth on a long home run to left field by Eduardo Quintero to make it 3-0.
The Dragons put together a two-out rally in the bottom of the sixth to pull to within a run. After a walk to Diego Omana, Julio Carreras lined a double to left field to move the runner to third, and John Michael Faile singled through the middle to drive in both Omana and Carreras to make it 3-2.
But the Loons responded quickly against Dragons reliever Drew Pestka in the seventh, getting a three-run home run by Emil Morales after Pestka had issued back-to-back walks with two outs. The homer gave the Loons a 6-2 lead. The added one more run in the eighth and another in the ninth to build their lead to 8-2.
The Dragons managed to score five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning without a hit. Amazingly, despite trailing by six runs to start the inning, they brought the tying run to the plate without a ball being put in play. The first five batters of the inning reached on two hit batsmen and three walks, forcing in two runs to make it 8-4 with no one out. An infield ground out brought in another run to make it 8-5 as the first out was recorded. Dayton’s Mason Neville then ripped a hard grounder at second base that registered 105 mph off the bat and was mishandled for an error as another run scored and runners advanced to second and third. The next batter, Diego Omana, grounded out to third base as another run scored and the tying run, Neville, advanced to third with two outs. Ryan McCrystal lined out to center field to end the game.
The Dragons finished the night with only three hits. Faile was 2 for 3 with two runs batted in and a walk.
Hayden, the Dragons starting pitcher, recovered after a rough beginning to have a credible outing. He worked five innings, allowing just two hits. He gave up three runs with three walks and five strikeouts.
Reliever Jimmy Romano, activated from the injured list earlier Tuesday, tossed a perfect sixth inning. Pestka and Graham Osman combined to work the final three innings, giving up a combined total of five runs while walking six.
Up Next: The Dragons (16-19, 55-46) host the Loons (20-15, 56-43) in the second game of the six-game series on Wednesday night at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Deivi Villafana (0-1, 10.80) will start for the Dragons. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
On the Air: 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.