Dragons Score 2 in 8th, Win 3-1

Dragons 3, Great Lakes 1

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Midland, Mich.-Luis Gonzalez's eighth inning single brought in Nick Benedetto from second base with the tie-breaking run and the Dayton Dragons went on to a 3-1 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Monday night. The game was delayed at the start for 54 minutes by rain. But once it began, the game was played in a crisp one hour, 55 minutes, making it the quickest Dragons nine-inning game since April 22, 2012.  

With the win, the Dragons moved into a tie with Lansing for second place in the East Division of the Midwest League, two games behind first place Bowling Green.

Dragons starting pitcher Seth Varner (4-1) earned the win, going seven strong innings and allowing six hits and one run with one walk and six strikeouts. Varner's only walk was the first he has allowed this season in six starts covering 35 innings. He has struck out 39 batters.

Brennan Bernardino replaced Varner and pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing one hit and striking out two. Brian Hunter tossed a perfect bottom of the ninth to earn his third save.

With the score tied 1-1 in the eighth, Benedetto drew the only walk allowed by Loons pitching in the game. Ty Washington then reached on a bunt single along the first base line as Benedetto went to second. Gonzalez followed with a hard grounder that ticked off the glove of the third baseman and carried into shallow left field, allowing Benedetto to score from second to give the Dragons the lead. Washington went to third on the play. Gavin LaValley followed with a run-scoring ground out to bring in Washington and give the Dragons a 3-1 lead.

The Dragons scored the first run of the game in the fourth when Brian O'Grady lined a single to left and scored on Jonathan Reynoso's two-out triple to the warning track in right-center. The hit extended Reynoso's hitting streak to eight straight games, the longest of the year for a Dayton player. Great Lakes tied the game with a run in the sixth.

The Dragons finished the game with seven hits. Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with an RBI. Reynoso's triple was the only extra base hit.

The Dragons (17-14) battle the Loons (12-16) again on Tuesday in the second game of the series at 7:05 p.m. Mark Armstrong (1-1, 2.15) will pitch for the Dragons against Great Lakes' Victor Gonzalez (0-2, 3.38). 

All Dragons games are broadcast on radio on Fox Sports 980 WONE and on the internet at wone.com. Games are also available on the Dayton Dragons mobile app.

Notes: The Dragons are 10-0 this season when they score the first run of the game…The Dragons have won five of their last seven road games and 11 of their last 16 overall.