Dragons Win Season Finale, Sweep Series with Fort Wayne

Dragons 5, Fort Wayne 3

Click here for the box score

Dayton, Ohio—Juan Martinez blasted a three-run home run and Matt McLain connected on a two-run inside-the-park homer as the Dayton Dragons defeated the Fort Wayne TinCaps 5-3 on Sunday afternoon. The game was the season finale for both clubs. A crowd of 7,638 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark.

The Dragons finished the 2021 season with a record of 65-55. They finished tied for first place with Lake County in the High-A Central League’s East Division but did not qualify for post-season. Their winning percentage of .542 was their highest since the 2011 season.

The Dragons swept the season-ending six-game series from Fort Wayne and won eight of their last nine games, but they fell one victory short of qualifying for the league playoffs.

The Dragons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning when McLain circled the bases for an inside-the-park home run after Jacob Hurtubise started the inning with a single and stole second. Fort Wayne scored two in the second inning to tie the game.

In the sixth, McLain walked and Allan Cerda singled before Martinez connected on a home run to left field to give the Dragons a 5-2 lead. It was Martinez’s seventh homer of the season. Fort Wayne scored one run in the seventh to account for the final tally.

Dayton finished with nine hits. Martinez and Quin Cotton each had two.

Dragons reliever Spencer Stockton (4-3) worked four scoreless innings to earn the victory. He allowed two hits and no walks with six strikeouts. Pedro Garcia tossed a scoreless ninth inning for his third save.

Up Next: The Dragons will open the 2022 season on April 8 against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Day Air Ballpark. The full 2022 schedule is here: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/imthhsmurbqkqcdrfr65.pdf

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