Whitecaps Shutout Dragons 2-0 on Saturday

By Tom Nichols

July 12, 2014

West Michigan 2, Dragons 0

Click here for the box score

Dayton, Ohio-West Michigan starting pitcher Austin Kubitza and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout as the Whitecaps defeated the Dayton Dragons 2-0 on Saturday night. A crowd of 8,406 saw the game at Fifth Third Field.

Kubitza (8-1) worked the first five innings, allowing four hits with three walks and six strikeouts to earn the win. Reliever Scott Sitz followed Kubitza to the mound and retired all nine batters he faced over three scoreless innings. Julio Felix pitched the ninth inning to earn his seventh save.

Both West Michigan runs in the game were unearned as they took advantage of two costly Dragons errors. In the third, Austin Schotts walked, stole second, and scored from second with outs when Dragons shortstop Carlton Daal made a wild throw to first after fielding a ground ball off the bat of Raph Rhymes to make it 1-0. The Whitecaps added another run in the eighth when they loaded the bases with one out, again aided by a Dragons error, a misplayed ground ball by second baseman Ronald Bueno. The Whitecaps scored when Rhymes hit into a double play, an outstanding effort by Dayton third baseman Tanner Rahier, who made a diving stop, stepped on third, and threw to first as a run scored.

The Dragons had one runner as far as third with two outs in the fifth and two other runners as far as second base in the game, but they grounded into three double plays and went 1 for 9 with men on base. All four Dragons hits were singles. Bueno was 2 for 3.

Dragons starting pitcher Dan Langfield (2-1) suffered a hard-luck loss. He allowed one unearned run in five innings on only two hits with three and seven strikeouts. Nolan Becker was charged with one unearned run in two innings of work and Alejandro Chacin tossed two scoreless innings.

The Dragons (10-12) will host the Whitecaps (13-9) on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field in the third game of the four-game series. Nick Travieso (7-4, 3.72) will start for the Dragons against West Michigan's Jon Maciel (4-3, 3.26). The series concludes on Monday at 7:00 p.m.

All Dragons games can be heard on WONE Radio (980 AM) and via the internet at wone.com and through the Dragons Mobile App.

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