August 12, 2012

Click Here to see the Box Score

Fort Wayne (R-H-E): 4-6-0
Dayton (R-H-E): 5-7-0

WP: Wes Mugarian (1-3)
LP: Dennis O'Grady (4-1)
Sv: Carlos Contreras (16)

HR: Dayton: Juan Perez, 2 (8th, 0 on base in first inning; 9th, 2 on base in fifth inning).
HR: Fort Wayne: None

Dayton, Ohio-Juan Perez belted two home runs and drove in four runs, and Sean Buckley broke a 4-4 tie with a run-scoring double as the Dayton Dragons defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps 5-4 on Sunday afternoon. The Dragons have won three straight and eight of their last 11. A crowd of 8,932 saw the game at Fifth Third Field.

The game marked the second straight day in which the Dragons battled back from a three-run deficit to win. They trailed 4-1 after four innings, but got shutout work from their bullpen over the final five frames and capitalized on Perez's big day for the win.

The Dragons took the lead when Perez belted a home run to right field to lead off the first inning. But Fort Wayne answered with three runs in the third. Jace Peterson tripled to drive in two runs and then scored on Mike Gallic's single to make it 3-1. Then in the fourth, Lee Orr walked with one out and stole second and third. After a walk to Kyle Gaedele, the TinCaps pulled off a double steal as Orr crossed the plate to make it 4-1. Orr recorded a baseball rarity of three stolen bases in the same inning.

Dayton tied the game in the fifth inning. Buckley and Juan Silva both walked to start the inning and were stationed at second and third with two outs. Perez bombed a 2-0 pitch off the top of the screen above the right field fence for a game-tying three-run homer to make it 4-4. Perez's homer, his ninth of the year, allowed him to join Sean Buckley as Dragons with two home runs in a game this season. Buckley hit two at Lake County on July 28.

The Dragons took the lead in the sixth. Joe Terry doubled to start the inning and went to third on Yorman Rodriguez's fly out to deep center. After Kyle Waldrop was intentionally walked, Buckley lined a double to the left field bullpen area to bring in Terry and make it 5-4 and close out the scoring. Fort Wayne did not advance a runner past first base over their final three innings.

Dragons starting pitcher Robert Stephenson worked four innings. He allowed three hits and four runs with three walks and four strikeouts and was not involved in the decision. Wes Mugarian (1-3) replaced Stephenson to start the fifth and tossed two scoreless, allowing two hits with three strikeouts. He was credited with the win. El'Hajj Muhammad pitched a scoreless seventh inning, allowing one walk and recording a strikeout. Mike Dennhardt took over in the eighth and allowed one hit with one strikeout. Carlos Contreras retired the side in order in the ninth for his 16th save.

The Dragons picked up seven hits. Yovan Gonzalez joined Perez with two hits.

The Dragons (21-26) host the TinCaps (27-21) on Monday at 7:00 p.m. in the last game of a three-game series (WONE 980 AM). Stalin Gerson (6-7, 3.84) will start for Dayton against Fort Wayne's Frank Garces (9-4, 2.29).

Notes: With 21 games to play, the Dragons are four games behind Lake County in the race for the East Division wildcard slot. Lake County comes to Dayton to begin a three-game series on Wednesday.