Graham's 3-Run Double in 8th Lifts Dragons to 8-6 Win on Sunday
Dragons 8, Fort Wayne 6 Click here for the box score Dayton (R-H-E): 8-10-1; Fort Wayne (R-H-E): 6-7-1 Win: Simon Miller (1-1); Loss: Jackson Smeltz (2-2); Save: None HR: Dayton: Leo Balcazar (1st, 1 on base in third inning). HR: Fort Wayne: None Dayton, Ohio—Carter Graham’s three-run double with two
Dragons 8, Fort Wayne 6
Click here for the box score
Dayton (R-H-E): 8-10-1; Fort Wayne (R-H-E): 6-7-1
Win: Simon Miller (1-1); Loss: Jackson Smeltz (2-2); Save: None
HR: Dayton: Leo Balcazar (1st, 1 on base in third inning). HR: Fort Wayne: None
Dayton, Ohio—Carter Graham’s three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning lifted the Dayton Dragons to an 8-6 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Sunday afternoon. With the victory, the Dragons won the series, taking four-of-six with Fort Wayne.
A crowd of 7,860 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
The Dragons built a 5-0 lead, fell behind 6-5, and battled back to win.
The win allowed the Dragons to hold onto a two and one-half game lead over second place West Michigan in the East Division playoff race with 36 games to play. Lansing is four games out of first.
Game Summary:
The Dragons jumped out to a 5-0 lead over the first three innings, scoring one run in the first, two in the second, and two more in the third.
In the first, the Dragons attempted a double steal with Jay Allen II at third and Hector Rodriguez at first and one out. Allen raced home as Fort Wayne trapped Rodriguez between first and second to start the scoring.
In the second, Ethan O’Donnell singled to start the inning and Logan Tanner walked. With two outs, Carlos Jorge lined a double over the head of the center fielder to drive in both runners and make it 3-0.
In the third, Rodriguez singled and Leo Balcazar blasted a two-run home run to left field, his first homer of the year, to give the Dragons a 5-0 lead.
Leo BLASTS one out of here for his first homer of the year! 🔥🔥🔥 #FeelTheFire pic.twitter.com/gZFkuyp7yO
— Dayton Dragons (@DragonsBaseball) July 28, 2024
Dragons starting pitcher Gabriel Aguilera was exceptionally good, allowing just two base runners over five shutout innings. Aguilera retired the first 10 batters of the game without a ball leaving the infield and did not allow a hit until a two out single in the fourth.
But Fort Wayne battled back against the Dayton bullpen. They scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh against Dragons reliever Easton Sikorski to make it 5-3. In the top of the eighth, Fort Wayne’s Kai Murphy delivered a three-run double off Dragons reliever Simon Miller to put the Tin Caps in front 6-5.
In the bottom of the eighth, Dayton’s Cam Collier singled to right to start the rally, and Balcazar’s single moved Collier to second. Ethan O’Donnell delivered a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. The next two Dayton hitters were retired without a run scoring, but Carter Graham smashed a hard grounder down the left field line to drive in all three runners and give the Dragons an 8-6 lead. Miller pitched a perfect top of the ninth for the Dragons to close out the win.
Graham, who had the big hit, had been waiting for a chance to deliver.
"I actually had that same opportunity on Thursday against the same pitcher,” said Graham. “He got the best of me that time. I've spent the last few days dreaming about that opportunity again. I didn't want to let that one go to waste. I wanted to put that ball in play. Have a chance to score a couple of runs, get us a game to win."
The Dragons finished with 10 hits. Balcazar, O’Donnell, and Rodriguez each had two. The Dayton win came after Fort Wayne had defeated the Dragons in the previous two games.
"Obviously the last two days didn't go our way,” said Graham. “We've been battling as a team, putting together some really good games. Sometimes a couple of games just slip away from you like that, so being able to bounce back and win a gritty one like today, it means a lot. It puts us in a good position going into next week."
Up Next: The Dragons (18-12, 52-44) do not play on Monday. They will travel to Lansing, Michigan to begin a six-game series with the Lansing Lugnuts on Tuesday night at 7:05 pm. T.J. Sikkema (3-2, 3.32) will start for the Dragons against Lansing’s vs. Luis Morales (1-1, 3.73).
The next home game at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District is Tuesday, August 6 when the Dragons host the Lake County Captains. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.
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.