Dragons Pitchers Shut Down Fort Wayne Again in Dayton 5-1 Win

Dragons 5, Fort Wayne 1

Click here for the box score

Dayton (R-H-E): 5-7-0; Fort Wayne (R-H-E): 1-4-2

Win: Luke Hayden (1-0); Loss: Jose Reyes (0-1); Save: None

HR: Dayton: None HR: Fort Wayne: None

Dayton, Ohio—Dayton starting pitcher Luke Hayden fired five scoreless innings and Anthony Stephan collected three hits as the Dragons defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps 5-1 on Thursday night. The win was the second straight for the Dragons.

A crowd of 7,677 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

Dayton pitchers have now completed one turn through their starting rotation with six different hurlers opening a game. Those six pitchers have combined to allow just two runs in 26 innings.

Game Summary:

The Dragons scored two runs in the second inning to take an early lead. The inning started with back-to-back singles by Victor Acosta and Anthony Stephan. With Acosta at third and one out, Fort Wayne catcher Brendan Durfee made a wild pick-off throw into left field that allowed Acosta to score with Stephan advancing to third. Myles Smith followed with a sacrifice fly to right field to drive in Stephan to make it 2-0.

The Dragons added another run in the fourth inning when Ricardo Cabrera doubled to right-center field and scored on Stephan’s two-out single to right as the Dragons extended their lead to 3-0.

Meanwhile, Luke Hayden, making the first start of his professional career, shut down the Fort Wayne offense. Hayden allowed just two base runners over five scoreless innings, facing only one batter over the minimum. He struck out five.

Jonah Hurney replaced Hayden to begin the sixth inning and tossed two scoreless frames, striking out four. Hurney allowed a pair of two out hits in the top of the seventh but got a big strikeout for the third out with the tying run at the plate.

The Dragons scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh to take a commanding 5-0 lead. They drew three walks in the inning and scored both runs on a throwing error.

Fort Wayne scored one run in the eighth inning to avoid their second straight shutout. The TinCaps run in the eighth ended a string of 17 straight scoreless innings by Dayton pitchers.

The Dragons finished with seven hits. Stephan was 3 for 4 and had a double for the third straight game. He scored a run, drove in a run, and stole a base. Cabrera had two doubles and scored a run.

Notes: After a rough start to the season for the Dayton bullpen over the first four games when they allowed 24 runs in 20.1 innings, Dragons relievers have tossed eight scoreless innings over the last two nights.

Up Next: The Dragons (2-4) host Fort Wayne (3-3) in the fourth game of the six-game series on Friday night at 7:05 pm. Chase Burns, the Reds #1 prospect and their first round draft pick in 2024, will start for the Dragons. Burns through four shutout innings in the Dragons season opener on April 4 at West Michigan. Fort Wayne will counter with Enmanuel Pinales. 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.