Fisher, Curlis Combine on 1-Hit Shutout in 1-0 Dragons Win
Geneva, Ill.-Dayton pitchers Andy Fisher and Connor Curlis combined on a one-hit shutout and Cameron Warren hit a home run to account for the only run of the game as the Dragons defeated the Kane County Cougars 1-0 on Saturday night.
Geneva, Ill.-Dayton pitchers Andy Fisher and
The win was the sixth in the last seven games for the Dragons and squared their second half record to 14-14. The Dayton win coupled with a Lansing loss moved the Dragons into a tie for the wildcard spot in the East Division second half playoff race.
Fisher, making his Midwest League debut, was brilliant. The 2019 Big Ten 1st Team All-Conference selection at Illinois tossed five no-hit innings and did not walk a batter. He struck out eight without allowing a run. Two batters reached against Fisher (error, hit batsman).
Curlis replaced Fisher to start the sixth. He allowed a double to the first batter of the inning, the only hit Kane County had in the game. But Curlis got the next three hitters including two on strikeouts to strand the runner at third.
In the seventh, Warren hit a high deep drive to left field. Kane County outfielder Tre Holmes raced back and made a leaping effort to take a home run away from the Dayton batter. Holmes' reaction prompted his teammates, and the fans in Kane County, to believe he had caught the ball and made one of the greatest defensive plays of the season. Warren actually stopped running momentarily, but it eventually became clear that Holmes did not have the ball in his glove, and Warren circled the bases for his first Midwest League home run in just his second game. It gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead.
Curlis allowed only one more base runner, a one-out walk in the seventh, before retiring the final eight batters of the game to earn the win and improve to 3-3. Fisher and Curlis combined to strike out 14 batters while walking only one.
The Dragons finished with five hits.
Notes: Over the last two games, Dragons pitchers have allowed a combined total of three hits in 18 innings without surrendering an earned run…The game was the first one-hitter of the year for Dragons pitchers.
Up Next: The Dragons (14-14, 42-56) meet Kane County (18-10, 53-44) in the second game of the series in Geneva on Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. (EDT).
The next Dragons home game is Wednesday, July 24 against the Great Lakes Loons at 7:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field.
On the Air: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on Fox Sports 980 WONE AM. 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. All Saturday and Sunday home games are televised on Dayton's CW (channel 26; Spectrum cable channels 13 and 1013).
For Dragons 2019 ticket information, call (937) 228-2287.