SOUTH BEND 16, DRAGONS 10
Click here for the box score
South Bend (R-H-E): 16-12-1; Dayton (R-H-E): 10-12-3
Win: Ethan Bell (2-0); Loss: Drew Pestka (0-2); Save: None
HR: Dayton: Peyton Stovall (1st, 1 on base in third inning).
HR: South Bend: Christian Olivo (1st, 0 on base in third inning).
Dayton, Ohio—The South Bend Cubs broke a 10-10 tie with six runs in the ninth inning to defeat the Dayton Dragons 16-10 on Tuesday night. The game was the opener to a six-game series between the two clubs.
A crowd of 8,419 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
The big ninth inning for South Bend capped off a night of comebacks for both teams. The Dragons led 5-1 before South Bend battled back to take a 10-6 lead in the top of the eighth. The Dragons then scored four in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at 10-10.
Game Recap: The Dragons got off to a good start, scoring two runs in the first inning. Carlos Sanchez opened the inning with a bunt single, stole second, and scored on a single to center field by Kien Vu. Vu advanced to second on a ground out, stole third, and scored on Ryan McCrystal’s single to center to make it 2-0.
The Dragons added another run in the second when Anthony Stephan walked, went from first to third on a single by Sanchez, and scored on Vu’s long sacrifice fly to center to make it 3-0.
The Cubs got on the board in the top of the third on a solo home run by Christian Olivo to make it 3-1. But the Dragons responded with two runs in the bottom of the third when McCrystal opened the inning with a double and two batters later, Peyton Stovall blasted a home run high off the foul pole in right field to make it 5-1. The homer was Stovall’s first of the year.
View the Stovall home run here: https://x.com/DragonsBaseball/status/2046742999086805178
But South Bend battled back. The Cubs scored two runs in the fifth to make it 5-3, and two more in the seventh to tie the game, 5-5. The Dragons regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh before South Bend exploded for five in the top of the eighth off Dayton reliever Stephen Quigley to take a 10-6 lead.
The Dragons rallied to tie the game with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. The first three batters walked to start the inning and a South Bend error allowed two runs to score before Alfredo Duno’s RBI ground out brought in the third run of the inning. A hard two-out run-scoring single through the middle by Yerlin Confidan tied the game going to the ninth inning.
The first six South Bend batters in the top of the ninth reached base and eventually scored as they took advantage of three walks, a hit batsman, and two singles that were allowed by Dayton reliever Drew Pestka to give South Bend a 16-10 lead and close out the scoring.
Dayton finished with 12 hits. Sanchez had three hits to raise his average to .357. Stovall had two hits including a home run. McCrystal and Confidan each added two hits as well.
It was a tough night for the Dayton bullpen, which led all of Minor League Baseball in bullpen ERA going into Sunday’s game, and still ranked first in the league entering Tuesday night’s game. By the four Dragons relievers who pitched on Tuesday combined to surrender 13 runs (11 earned) in four and one-third innings. The Cubs scored 11 runs over their final two offensive innings.
Up Next: The Dragons (7-8) host the Cubs (9-4) again on Wednesday at 7:05 pm at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District in the second game of a six-game series. J.P. Ortiz (0-1, 7.27) will start for Dayton against South Bend’s Nazier Mule (0-0, 2.45). 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.