DRAGONS 12, WEST MICHIGAN 6
Click here for the box score
Dayton (R-H-E): 12-13-0; West Michigan (R-H-E): 6-6-1
Win: Dylan Simmons (3-1); Loss: Ben Jacobs (1-1); Save: Jimmy Romano (3)
HR: Dayton: Mason Neville (1st, 0 on base in second inning); Carlos Sanchez (9th, 3 on base in third inning); Carter Graham (16th, 0 on base in fourth inning).   HR: West Michigan: Jackson Strong, 2 (7th, 0 on base in first inning; 8th, 0 on base in sixth inning); Ricardo Hurtado (6th, 1 on base in first inning); Juan Hernandez (1st, 1 on base in sixth inning).
Dayton, Ohio—Carlos Sanchez blasted a grand slam home run, Carter Graham collected four hits including a homer, and Mason Neville hit a home run on his first swing with his new team as the Dayton Dragons defeated the West Michigan Whitecaps 12-6 on Wednesday night. The Dragons have won the first two games in the series and they are 11-2 over their last 13 games.
A crowd of 7,539 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
Quoting Carter Graham: "I'm just honestly coming out here looking to help the team win games. Some nights it goes well, some nights it doesn't. I had a little tough couple days in a row…I didn't change anything. You just run into a couple and it's a good night."Â
Graham on the keys to the Dragons prolific offense:Â "One through nine I think we bang. A lot of teams have holes in their lineup. I don't think we're one of those teams. I think that one through nine we have guys who, if you make a mistake, they're going to leave the yard. I think that puts a lot of pressure on opposing pitchers. At this point in the season when everybody's tired, but our lineup is playing our best ball, they make those mistakes and we're doing it."
Recap:Â West Michigan had a big first inning to take a quick 3-0 lead, getting back-to-back home runs in the frame from Ricardo Hurtado and Jackson Strong.
The Dragons responded with two runs in the bottom of the first when Jacob Friend doubled into the right field corner to drive in Alfredo Duno and Carter Graham and make it 3-2. In the second inning, Mason Neville blasted a long home run to right field to tie the game on his very first swing with the Dragons after joining the club on Tuesday. In the same inning, Carlos Sanchez walked, stole second, and scored on Duno’s single to give the Dragons a 4-3 lead.
The Dragons put five runs on the board in the third inning. Alfredo Alcantara delivered a run-scoring single with one out, and Sanchez connected on a two-out grand slam home run to extend the Dragons lead to 9-3. The home run by Sanchez was his ninth of the year and gave him eight RBI in the first two games of the series with West Michigan.
Dayton’s Carter Graham connected on a solo home run in the fourth inning, his 16th homer of the year, to give the Dragons a 10-3 lead.
West Michigan battled back with three runs in the sixth inning to cut their deficit to 10-6. Jackson Strong belted his second home run of the game in the inning, a solo shot, and Juan Hernandez added a two-run homer. But Dayton reliever Jimmy Romano entered the game to start the seventh inning and shutout the Whitecaps over the final three innings to earn his third save of the season.
The Dragons closed out the scoring with two runs in the eighth, getting a run-scoring double by Graham to bring in Kien Vu, and a wild pitch that brought in Graham from third base.
The Dragons finished the night with 13 hits. Graham was 4 for 5 with a home run, two doubles, and a single. Sanchez had two hits including a grand slam. Alcantara also had two hits. Neville was 1 for 1 with a home run and three walks in his first game with the team.
Notes: The Dragons have now hit seven grand slam home runs on the year after hitting only one in 2025…The Dragons are 29-14 since May 5…They are 11-3 in their last 14 home games…The Dragons have outscored their opponents 117-46 over their last 13 games, winning 11 times, and scoring at least 12 runs in five of the 11 victories.Â
Up Next: The Dragons (3-1, 42-28) will host the Whitecaps (3-2, 27-42) in the third game of the six-game series on Thursday night at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Ovis Portes (1-3, 9.64) will start for Dayton against West Michigan’s Lucas Elissalt (1-4, 4.74). 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.