Dragons Hit Five Home Runs in 8-4 Victory at Lansing

Dragons 8, Lansing 4

Click here * for the box score*

Dayton (R-H-E): 8-9-0; Lansing (R-H-E): 4-5-4

Win: James Marinan (3-3); Loss: Kyle Virbitsky (2-3); Save: None

HR: Dayton: Rece Hinds (10th, 0 on base in first inning); Austin Hendrick (13th, 0 on base in sixth inning); Jose Torres (13th, 1 on base in sixth inning); Michel Triana (7th, 1 on base in eighth inning); Hayden Jones (1st, 0 on base in eighth inning). HR: Lansing: None NOTE: THE HOME RUNS BY TRIANA AND JONES WERE BACK-TO-BACK.

Lansing, Mich.—The Dayton Dragons matched a season-high with five home runs including the team’s longest of the year by Rece Hinds as the Dragons defeated the Lansing Lugnuts 8-4 on Friday night.

The win was the third straight for the Dragons. They are 12-2 over their last 14 games and 16-4 over their last 20. The Dragons are 67-60 on the year with two games to play.

Game Recap: Rece Hinds opened the scoring in the first inning with a 474-foot home run to left field, believed to be the longest homer of the year for the Dragons and the third longest of any player in the Reds farm system. The home run, Hinds’ 10th of the year, gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead.

In the third inning, Austin Hendrick drilled a double off the top of the 23’ right field fence in Lansing, driving in Jay Allen II from first base to make it 2-0.

Lansing scored four runs on four hits in the third to take a 4-2 lead. Dragons pitchers limited Lansing to one hit and no runs over the remaining six innings of the game.

The Dragons regained the lead in the sixth. Hendrick blasted a home run to right-center field to lead off the inning. It was his 13th home run with the Dragons and 20th overall in the Reds system in 2022, making him the fourth Reds prospect to reach 20 while playing for a Reds affiliate (joining Elly De La Cruz, Alex McGarry, and Allan Cerda). Later in the same inning, Tyler Callihan doubled to right field, and Jose Torres followed with a home run to left, a two-run shot that gave the Dragons a 5-4 lead. The homer was the 13th of the year for Torres.

The Dragons added two more home runs in the eighth. Michel Triana connected on a two-run homer to right field, his seventh with the Dragons, and Hayden Jones followed Triana’s blast with a homer to right, his first hit since coming up from Daytona. The back-to-back home runs by Triana and Jones made it 8-4 and closed out the scoring.

Meanwhile, Dragons reliever James Marinan (3-3) tossed two and one-third scoreless innings in relief of starter Sam Benschoter. Owen Holt replaced Marinan to start the sixth and retired all nine batters he faced, striking out the last three. Jayvien Sandridge worked a perfect ninth inning. Lansing did not have a hit after the fourth inning.

The Dragons finished with nine hits. Hendrick led the way with a home run and double while driving in two runs.

Notes: The home run by Hinds gave the Dragons six players this season with at least 10 home runs while playing for Dayton. Hinds joined De La Cruz, McGarry, Cerda, Hendrick, and Torres, the first time in Dragons history that a team had more than five players reach double-figures in home runs. As a team, the Dragons have hit 151, seven more than the previous club record of 144 set in 2001.

Up Next: The Dragons play at Lansing again on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. in the next-to-last game of the 2022 season. Miguel Medrano (2-4, 7.55) will start for the Dragons. The season will conclude for the Dragons on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. in Lansing.

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.

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