Ashcraft, Two Relievers Combine for 3-Hit Shutout

Dragons 2, Fort Wayne 0

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Dayton, Ohio—Dayton starting pitcher Graham Ashcraft and two relievers combined on a three hit shutout and Jose Tello hit a first inning home run as the Dragons defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps 2-0 on Thursday night. A crowd of 6,231 at Day Air Ballpark saw the Dragons win their third straight game.

Ashcraft (4-1) went five scoreless innings to earn the win, lowering his earned run average to 2.33, third best in the High-A Central League. He allowed two hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Ashcraft has not allowed an earned run in his last four starts covering 23 innings.

Tello (pronounced TAY-oh) blasted a home run off the batter’s eye above the center field fence with one out in the first inning to give the Dragons the only run they would need to win. They scored again in the second inning when Eric Yang walked and scored from first on Victor Ruiz’s triple to right, a line drive that Fort Wayne’s Tirso Ornelas lost in the sun.

Ashcraft left the game after throwing 80 pitches. Spencer Stockton, who was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen this week, replaced Ashcraft and tossed three scoreless innings in a set-up role. He allowed just one hit and one walk with two strikeouts. Pedro Garcia pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first save, notching one strikeout.

The win marked the Dragons third shutout victory of the season and their second in the last six games. They are 14-6 this season in close games decided by two runs or less.

Dayton won the game despite collecting just five hits. Jacob Hurtubise was 2 for 4 to raise his batting average to .291. Miguel Hernandez went 0 for 3 to snap his 10-game hitting streak.

The Race: With the win, the Dragons (23-16) remained two games ahead of second place Lake County in the East Division standings. Lake County defeated West Michigan 6-3 on Thursday as the third place Whitecaps fell to three and one-half games behind the Dragons.

Notes: The Dragons are 7-2 on the current 12-game homestand and are 23-16 overall. They are seven games above the .500 mark for the first time since July 8, 2017 when their record stood at 47-40.

Up Next: The Dragons host Fort Wayne in the fourth game of a six-game series at Day Air Ballpark on Friday at 7:05 p.m. Carson Spiers (1-0, 5.11) will pitch for Dayton against Moises Lugo (0-1, 3.23). Spiers won the High-A Central League Pitcher of the Week award last week after tossing seven and one-third near-perfect innings in relief. A win on Friday would match the Dragons season-high for longest winning streak at four straight victories.

For ticket information, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com.

On the Air: All Dragons games are broadcast on radio on 980 WONE AM Fox Sports. Games can be heard on smart phones, iPads, and other mobile devices via the free Dragons Mobile App, or on a computer at wone.com. Games are also available on HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2.

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