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Dragons Big Comeback Effort Comes Up Short in 9-8 Loss to Lake County

July 3, 2025

Lake County 9, Dragons 8 Click here for the box score Lake County (R-H-E): 9-7-0; Dayton (R-H-E): 8-11-0 Win: Matt Wilkinson (3-8); Loss: Luke Hayden (1-4); Save: Jack Jasiak (7) HR: Dayton: Leo Balcazar (9th, 1 on base in seventh inning); Carlos Sanchez (2nd, 1 on base in ninth inning).

Lake County 9, Dragons 8

Click here for the box score

Lake County (R-H-E): 9-7-0; Dayton (R-H-E): 8-11-0

Win: Matt Wilkinson (3-8); Loss: Luke Hayden (1-4); Save: Jack Jasiak (7)

HR: Dayton: Leo Balcazar (9th, 1 on base in seventh inning); Carlos Sanchez (2nd, 1 on base in ninth inning). HR: Lake County: Wuilfredo Antunez (13th, 0 on base in third inning); Jose Devers (9th, 1 on base in ninth inning); Jacob Cozart (3rd, 0 on base in ninth inning).

Dayton, Ohio—The Lake County Captains built a 6-0 lead and held off a frantic Dayton comeback effort as they defeated the Dragons 9-8 on Thursday night. The Captains won all three games in the set in Dayton.

A crowd of 8,121 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

Game Summary:

Lake County took the lead with one run in the second, taking advantage of three walks in the inning surrendered by Dayton starting pitcher Luke Hayden. The Captains scored again in the third on a solo home run by Wuilfredo Antunez, his 13th of the season.

Lake County took a commanding lead with four runs in the fourth, keyed by a three-run double by Christian Knapczyk, as the Captains went ahead, 6-0.

The Dragons put together a scoring inning in the sixth, getting two runs in the inning. Yerlin Confidan drew a walk to start the inning and Carlos Sanchez blooped a single to center field. Peyton Stovall lined a double to the fence in right-center to drive in Confidan and move Sanchez to third. John Michael Faile followed with a single to left to score Sanchez and make it 6-2 as Stovall moved to third. But the rally ended when Johnny Ascanio grounded into an inning-ending double play.

The Dragons pulled to within a run in the seventh. Leo Balcazar blasted a long home run to left field with two outs and a man on base to make it 6-4. The homer was Balcazar’s ninth of the year, tying him for the team lead with Faile. After Balcazar’s home run, Yerlin Confidan reached on an infield single and scored from first on a triple to center by Carlos Sanchez to make it 6-5.

Lake County produced three big runs in the top of the ninth against Dayton reliever Cody Adcock, getting back-to-back home runs from Jose Devers and Jacob Cozart to make it 9-5.

The Dragons gave themselves a chance in the bottom of the ninth. After Victor Acosta walked and Carlos Jorge singled to right, Balcazar grounded out as the runners advanced to second and third, and Confidan’s sacrifice fly brought in Acosta to make it 9-6. With two outs, Sanchez blasted a two-run home run to left-center field to make it 9-8, but Stovall struck out to end the game.

Hayden (1-4) was charged with the loss. He worked three and one-third innings, allowing five runs on only two hits, but with six walks, two hit batsmen, and one strikeout. Hayden and three Dragons relievers combined to issue 11 walks in the game, matching the team high for the 2025 season.

The Dragons finished with 11 hits. Sanchez led the way with three hits including a home run, triple, and three runs batted in. Jorge and Confidan each had two hits.

Up Next: The series between the Dragons (4-8, 25-52) and Captains (6-6, 41-37) moves to Lake County (Eastlake, Ohio) for the final three games of the six-game set on Friday night at 7:00 pm. Nick Sando (1-2, 11.20) will start for Dayton on Friday.

The next Dayton home game is Friday, July 18 at 7:05 pm against the Great Lakes Loons at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. 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.