Dragons 9th Inning Comeback Rally Falls Just Short in 6-5 Loss to Whitecaps

West Michigan 6, Dragons 5

Click here for the box score

West Michigan (R-H-E): 6-11-0; Dayton (R-H-E): 5-12-1

Win: Trevin Michael (2-1); Loss: Dennis Boatman (0-2); Save: Jack Anderson (1)

HR: Dayton: Ruben Ibarra (7^th, 1 on base in sixth inning) HR: West Michigan: Eliezer Alfonzo (3^rd, 0 on base in eighth inning).

Dayton, Ohio—Miamisburg native Chris Meyers made a diving catch of a hard line drive by Dayton’s Austin Hendrick with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning as West Michigan held on to defeat the Dragons 6-5. The Dragons scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and were in position to win the game when Meyers made the game-ending fielding gem for West Michigan.

A crowd of 7,545 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

The Dragons trailed 3-1 when Ruben Ibarra blasted a two-run home run to center field in the seventh inning to tie the game at 3-3. But West Michigan responded by scoring three runs in the top of the eighth to regain the lead.

View the game-tying home run by Ibarra here: https://twitter.com/DragonsBaseball/status/1664437149746319362

In the bottom of the ninth, Dayton’s Justice Thompson opened the inning with a single to left field and advanced to third on Hayden Jones’ hit to center. Yan Contreras followed with an infield single to third base that brought in Thompson to make it 6-4. After Blake Dunn lined out hard to right for the first out, Austin Callahan singled to right to drive in Jones and move Contreras to third, pulling the Dragons to within a run at 6-5. Edwin Arroyo flied out to right with Contreras holding at third base, and Ibarra walked to load the bases with two outs. Hendrick followed with a blistering line drive that appeared headed for the right field corner to win the game, but Meyers made a diving catch to his left to save the game and give the Whitecaps a one-run win.

The Dragons had 12 hits in the game, their highest total since May 6. Ibarra had a home run and double. Thompson, Arroyo, and Austin Callahan each had two hits for the Dragons as well.

Up Next: The Dragons (23-25) will host West Michigan (28-20) in the fourth game of the six-game series on Friday at 7:10 p.m. at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Julian Aguiar (2-0, 1.60), the Midwest League leader in earned run average, is scheduled to start for Dayton. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

On the Air: Dragons games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be televised locally on Dayton’s CW (Channel 26, Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). 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.