Cueto, Dragons Top Lansing 9-6

Dragons 9, Lansing 6

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Dayton, Ohio-Johnny Cueto fired three strong innings in his return to the mound while Tanner Rahier belted a home run and drove in four runs to lead the Dayton Dragons to a 9-6 win over the Lansing Lugnuts on Thursday night. The win gave the Dragons their first three-game winning streak of the season as they also clinched their first series win of the year. The Dragons have won the first two games of the three-game set with Lansing.

Cueto threw 51 pitches over three innings, allowing one run on four hits with no walks and four strikeouts on a Major League injury rehabilitation assignment. It was Cueto's first live action since he went on the Cincinnati Reds disabled list after a start in Pittsburgh on April 13.

Lansing scored one run in the top of the first inning before the Dragons answered with five in the bottom half of the frame. Jeff Gelalich and Jesse Winker each delivered RBI singles to give Dayton a 2-1 lead, and Rahier hammered a two-out, three-run double to the gap in left-center field to make it 5-1.

The Dragons added another run in the second and then tacked on two more in the third on a Robert Ramirez two-run single to take a commanding 8-1 lead. After Lansing scored once in the top of the fifth, Rahier lined a home run to the Dragons Lair in left field in the bottom of the inning to make it 9-2. It was Rahier's third homer of the year and his second in the last two nights.

Lansing scored three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to close out the scoring.

The Dragons finished with eight hits including seven in the first three innings. Rahier and Gelalich each had two.

Ismael Guillon (1-4) was credited with the win. He worked four innings, allowing five hits and four runs with two walks and nine strikeouts. 

The Dragons (12-20) host the Lugnuts (9-21) at Fifth Third Field on Friday at 7:05 p.m. in the series finale. Pedro Diaz (0-2, 4.61) will start for Dayton against Lansing's Alonzo Gonzalez (1-2, 6.92). The game will be televised on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 and Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372. All Dragons games can be heard on WONE Radio (980 AM) and via the internet at daytondragons.com and wone.com.