Dragons Fall 7-2, Home Winning Streak Ends at 9
Dayton, Ohio-The Lansing Lugnuts jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and held off the Dayton Dragons for a 7-2 victory on Thursday night. The Dragons loss snapped their home winning streak at nine games, one short of the club record set in 2008.
Lansing scored single runs in each of the first three innings to jump out to a 3-0 lead before the Dragons scored twice in the bottom of the third. Luis Gonzalez started the Dragons third with a single to left field and Josciel Veras was hit by a pitch. Lansing pitcher Angel Perdomo then fielded Mitch Piatnik's bunt and threw wildly to first base, allowing Gonzalez to score and Veras to go to third. One batter later, Brantley Bell reached on an infield single that drove in Veras to make it 3-2.
But the Dragons could not score again. Lansing added a run in the fifth and then tacked on three big runs in the seventh to extend their lead to 7-2. The Dragons threatened in each of the last three innings, stranding seven runners over those innings and leaving runners at third in all three frames.
The Dragons collected six hits. Gonzalez went 2 for 3 with a walk. Brantley Bell and Zack Shields each had one hit to extend their personal hitting streaks, both to six games.
Dragons starting pitcher Austin Orewiler (3-13) suffered the loss. He went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Reliever Jeremy Kivel worked one inning and allowed three runs (one earned). Braulio Ortiz tossed two strong innings, allowing one hit but no runs with three strikeouts.
The Dragons (23-37, 44-86) travel to Bowling Green, Kentucky to open a four-game series with the Bowling Green Hot Rods (40-20, 77-52) on Friday at 7:35 p.m. Wendolyn Bautista (0-0, 4.58) will start for the Dragons against Bowling Green's Mike Velasquez (7-8, 4.94).
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.