QUAD CITIES 6, DRAGONS 5
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Quad Cities (R-H-E): 6-5-1; Dayton (R-H-E): 5-11-3
Win: Dash Albus (2-2); Loss: Deivi Villafana (0-3); Save: L.P. Langevin (2)
HR: Dayton: Justin Lebron (3rd, 0 on base in first inning). HR: Quad Cities: Jose Cerice (5th, 0 on base in fifth inning); Ben North (3rd, 1 on base in fifth inning).
Dayton, Ohio—The Quad Cities River Bandits scored six runs in the fifth inning and held on to defeat the Dayton Dragons 6-5 on Wednesday night. The River Bandits have won the first two games in the six-game series and they have won seven straight games overall.
The Dayton loss overshadowed a tremendous performance by Justin Lebron, the Reds 2026 first round draft pick, who had a home run, run-scoring single, stolen base, and multiple outstanding defensive plays at shortstop. His performance was recognized by the crowd at Day Air Ballpark, who rewarded Lebron’s play with lengthy ovations over the course of the game.
A crowd of 7,582 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark.
Recap: Lebron opened the Dragons offensive night with a first inning lead-off home run to center field, his third homer in just seven games with the Dragons. The Dragons added two more runs in the third as Jack Lausch reached on an error, stole second, and scored on Lebron’s hard single to center. Lebron stole second and scored on a two-out double to left by Ty Doucette to make it 3-0.
But Quad Cities produced a big fifth inning, scoring six runs to take a 6-3 lead. Dragons starting pitcher Deivi Villafana had retired the first 13 batters he faced before Jose Cerice belted a home run with one out in the fifth. Tyriq Kemp added a two-run triple later in the inning, and Ben North connected on a two-run home run. The River Bandits added an additional run on an error to take a three-run lead.
The Dragons loaded the bases with no one out in the bottom of the sixth but settled for one run on an RBI fielder’s choice ground out off the bat of Jack Lausch to make it 6-4. In the seventh, the Dragons nearly tied the game when Jacob Friend delivered a two-out double to the fence in right center field that easily brought in Ryan McCrystal from second base, but Doucette was thrown out at home on the play as he tried to score from first.
In the eighth, the Dragons put two runners on base with one out when Lebron lifted a towering drive toward deep left-center field that brought the fans to their feet and looked like a potential three-run home run, but Quad Cities left fielder Zion Rose caught the ball up against the left field fence for the second out as the runners tagged and advanced to second and third. Tyson Lewis struck out to end the threat, and the Dragons were held scoreless in the bottom of the ninth despite getting a one-out single from John Michael Faile that put the tying run on base.
The Dragons finished with 11 hits. Doucette was 3 for 4 with two doubles and a walk. Lebron’s two-hit night raised his batting average through seven professional games to .333 with three home runs and seven RBI.
The trio of Dayton relievers Bryce Archie, Graham Osman, and Trent Hodgdon combined for four and two-thirds innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned run, but the starter, Villafana (0-3) was charged with five runs in four and one-third innings.
Up Next: The Dragons (20-28, 59-55) continue their six-game series with Quad Cities (30-18, 60-51) with the third game of the set on Thursday night at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Edgar Colon (0-1, 7.50) will start for Dayton. 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.