Lansing Overcomes Another Big Game by McGarry to Edge the Dragons, 8-7

Lansing 8, Dragons 7

Click here for the box score

Lansing, Mich.—The Lansing Lugnuts hit four home runs and overcame another huge night from Dayton slugger Alex McGarry to defeat the Dragons 8-7 on Saturday night. Lansing has won three-of-five so far in the six-game series that ends on Sunday afternoon.

McGarry, the league leader in home runs, extra base hits, and slugging percentage, blasted his 11th home run of the season and added a single and double in defeat.

The Dragons built a 4-1 lead before Lansing scored six straight runs and held off a Dayton comeback rally in the ninth inning to win by a run.

*Game Recap: *Lansing’s Austin Beck belted two home runs and drove in three to bring the Lugnuts back from a three-run deficit to win.

Dayton built a 4-1 lead in the third inning, getting a game-tying single by Justice Thompson before Alex McGarry blasted a 413-foot home run to give Dayton a 3-1 lead. Rece Hinds followed McGarry’s home run with a double and eventually scored on an error to make it 4-1.

Dayton starting pitcher Christian Roa, in his first appearance of the season, worked four innings, allowing two runs on four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts, departing with a 4-2 lead.

The Lugnuts greeted Dayton reliever James Marinan with a four-run fifth inning and added another run in the seventh to go ahead 7-4.

Dayton’s Allan Cerda hit a two-run home run in the top of the eighth, his third homer of the year, to make it 7-6, but Lansing responded with a run in the bottom of the eighth to take a two-run lead to the ninth inning.

Hinds tripled with two outs to bring in Thompson from first base to make it 8-7, and back-to-back walks to Allan Cerda and Nick Quintana loaded the bases. But Lansing reliever Trayson Kubo entered the game to strike out Dayton’s J.V. Martinez to end the game.

McGarry and Hinds each had three hits for Dayton, while Cerda had two. The Dragons had six extra base hits in the game including the homers by McGarry and Cerda, doubles by McGarry, Hinds, and Elly De La Cruz, and the triple by Hinds.

With the loss, the Dragons fell to 21-10 on the year. They are in first place with a lead of three and one-half games over Great Lakes.

Notes: The start of the game was delayed by rain for 37 minutes…Former Dragons pitcher Andrew Abbott made his Double-A debut with Chattanooga on Saturday night, notching 12 strikeouts over five and two-thirds scoreless innings.

Up Next: The Dragons close out the road trip at Lansing on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. James Proctor (1-2, 3.71) will start for Dayton. The Dragons will need a win to split the set and avoid their first series loss of the 2022 season.

The Dragons return to Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District to host Quad Cities beginning Tuesday, May 17 at 7:05 p.m. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com 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.

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