Connor Burns Blasts 2 Home Runs, Dragons Hold on to Win 6-4 at Quad Cities

Dragons 6, Quad Cities 4

Click here for the box score

Dayton (R-H-E): 6-11-3; Quad Cities (R-H-E): 4-8-1

Win: Brian Edgington (2-1); Loss: Felix Arronde (1-3); Save: Jonah Hurney (1)

HR: Dayton: Connor Burns, 2 (3^rd, 0 on base in third inning; 4^th, 0 on base in sixth inning). HR: Quad Cities: Chris Brito (1^st, 0 on base in ninth inning).

Davenport, Iowa—Connor Burns hit two home runs and reliever Jonah Hurney overcame three errors in the ninth inning to notch a game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded as the Dayton Dragons defeated the Quad Cities River Bandits 6-4 on Friday night.

The Dragons had an impressive night at the plate, collecting nine extra base hits, four more than their previous high in 2025. The two teams have split the first four games of the series.

Game Summary:

The Dragons took a 6-3 lead to the bottom of the ninth inning before Dayton relief pitcher Jonah Hurney turned in one of the season’s most courageous performances to close out an intense Dragons win.

Hurney allowed a lead-off home run in the ninth to Chris Brito that cut the Dayton lead to 6-4 before the Dragons infield suffered through a series of defensive mistakes. Three Bandits hitters reached on errors, all on misplayed ground balls, as Quad Cities loaded the bases with two outs. With the tying run at second and the winning run at first, Hurney struck out Callan Moss on a backdoor slider to end the game.

The Dragons trailed 1-0 when Connor Burns hit his first of two home runs in the game in the third inning to tie the score. Three batters later, Leo Balcazar doubled to left field to drive in Iverson Espinoza to give Dayton a 2-1 lead.

The Dragons added a run in the fourth when Victor Acosta tripled and scored on Johnny Ascanio’s double, and they tacked on another run in the fifth when Yerlin Confidan walked and scored on Acosta’s RBI double to make it 4-1.

In the sixth, Burns hit his second home run of the game, his fourth of the season and third in the series with Quad Cities, to give the Dragons a 5-1 lead.

Quad Cities started back with one run in the bottom of the sixth against Dragons starting pitcher Brian Edgington, who followed that inning with a scoreless seventh, becoming the first Dayton pitcher to go seven innings since Javi Rivera and Johnathan Harmon did it on consecutive nights in June of 2024. Edgington (2-1) allowed two runs in his seven innings on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts, throwing 90 pitches.

Quad Cities added a run against Hurney in the eighth to make it 5-3, but the Dragons responded with a run in the top of the ninth when Confidan walked with two outs and scored from first on John Michael Faile’s second double of the night to make it 6-3, setting the stage for the dramatic bottom of the ninth as Hurney held on for his first save of the season.

The Dragons matched a season high with 11 hits. Burns, with the first multi-homer day of his professional career, led the way. He became the first Dayton player with multiple home runs in a game since Cam Collier hit three in one game in 2024. Burns, Acosta, Faile, and Confidan all had two hits for Dayton. The Dragons had six doubles in the game to set a new season high, and their nine extra base hits far surpassed their previous season high of five.

Up Next: The Dragons (13-24) meet the River Bandits (23-13) in the fifth game of the six-game series in Davenport, Iowa on Saturday night at 6:30 pm (EDT). Adam Serwinowski (0-2, 3.86) will start for Dayton.

The next home game at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District is Tuesday, May 27 against the West Michigan Whitecaps at 7:05 pm. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets.

On the Air: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. 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.