DAYTON, OH – On the third of July, the threes were plentiful: The Dayton Dragons scored three runs in the third inning, the Lansing Lugnuts answered with three in the sixth, the Dragons retook the lead with a three-run seventh, and potential game-tying run Nate Nankil – who had collected three hits already in the game – was called out on a dubious strike three for the third out in the ninth, giving the Dragons (7-5, 46-32) a 6-3 win over the Lugnuts (2-11, 30-46) on Friday night at Day Air Ballpark.
It was the Dragons’ third straight win in the series.
With reliever Trent Hodgdon on the mound for the ninth inning, a one-out error by shortstop Julio Carreras allowed Myles Naylor to reach first base. Hodgdon struck out Jared Sprague-Lott but walked Ali Camarillo. That brought up Nankil, who had previously singled in the fourth, sixth (scoring Camarillo) and eighth innings.
The San Diego native fell behind 0-and-2, fouled off a pitch, and then took ball one, a wild pitch down and away that moved Naylor to third and Camarillo to second. The next pitch also appeared comfortably outside, but fill-in umpire Jeff Spisak rang Nankil up to end the game.
Lansing starter Mitch Myers began the game well, striking out three batters in working a pair of perfect innings. Tyson Lewis and Marcus Smith opened the third inning with booming home runs, however, and Julio Carreras followed five batters later with an RBI single to give Dayton a 3-0 lead.
The lead lasted as long as Dragons southpaw Kyle McCoy stayed in the game; the lanky Maryland product struck out seven in five scoreless innings of two-hit ball.
Brady Afthim relieved McCoy to open the sixth inning and was greeted by consecutive singles from Sprague-Lott, Camarillo and Nankil, putting the Lugnuts on the board. A double-play grounder from Bryan Arendt plated Camarillo while erasing Nankil, drawing the Nuts within 3-2. Afthim jumped ahead of the next batter, Pedro Pineda, only to see Pineda jolt a two-strike pitch way out to left-center for a game-tying solo home run.
Ben Hansen, acquired via trade from Boston on Wednesday, made his A’s organizational debut in relief of Myers in the fifth inning. The 6-foot-6 right-hander faced the minimum, thanks to a double-play ball (cleaning up an error by shortstop Camarillo) and a strikeout.
Riley Huge struck out three Dragons in a hitless sixth inning, but ran into trouble in the seventh. After singles from Peyton Stovall and Victor Acosta and a fielding error from left fielder Pineda that moved the runners to second and third, Ryan McCrystal thumped a two-run double to left-center and Jacob Fried added an RBI double of his own for a 6-3 Dayton.
Ryan Brown relieved Huge and fired the final 1 2/3 innings in perfect order, keeping Lansing in the game – but in the end, it was not to be.
Cincinnati Reds third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes made his first appearance in a game since May 20, rehabbing for Dayton. Hayes finished the game 1-for-3 with a single, though Myers retired him on an inning-ending groundout to strand the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth, ending his night.
In the loss, Lansing shortstop Camarillo went 2-for-4 with a walk, continuing a marvelous road trip. In four games, Camarillo is 9-for-17 with four walks, a .529 batting average and a .619 on-base percentage. He has at least two hits in each game and in five of his last six games.
The Nuts’ Independence Day starter will be right-hander Nathan Dettmer, countering Dayton right-hander J.P. Ortiz at 7:05 p.m. Saturday in the Gem City.
The Lugnuts are on the road until the All-Star Break, next returning to JacksonⓇ Field™ for a three-game series against the Fort Wayne Tin Caps from July 17-19. For tickets and more information, call (517) 485-4500 or visit www.milb.com/lansing.
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