(Dayton, OH) - The Lake County Captains (20-27) and Dayton Dragons (24-21) have been consistent. Every single game of their four-game series at Fifth Third Field this week was decided by one run. In the finale on Thursday, the Captains lost to Dayton, 2-1.Captains starter Nick Gallagher and Dayton starter
(Dayton, OH) - The Lake County Captains (20-27) and Dayton Dragons (24-21) have been consistent. Every single game of their four-game series at Fifth Third Field this week was decided by one run. In the finale on Thursday, the Captains lost to Dayton, 2-1.
Captains starter Nick Gallagher and Dayton starter Hunter Greene held the bats in check in the early going. Gallagher spun five scoreless innings and Greene kept the Captains off the board until the fifth. With one out and nobody aboard in the top of the fifth, Tyler Friis broke through. The switch-hitter, batting lefty against the right-handed Greene, turned on a pitch and sent it over the right field wall for a solo homer. Friis' second long ball of the year gave Lake County a 1-0 lead.
The Captains threatened to expand their lead that inning, but the Dragons used three pitchers to keep the Captains from scoring another run. After the homer, Oscar Gonzalez singled off of Greene and Dayton Manager Luis Bolivar called on lefty Max Wotell to face two left-handed hitters, Nolan Jones and Will Benson . Wotell, however, surrendered a single to Jones and walked Benson to load the bases with just one out. Bolivar again called on his bullpen, bringing in right-hander Adrian Chacon to face Jose Vicente . Chacon struck out Vicente looking at a 3-2 pitch and then got Jose Medina swinging to end the inning. It was the first of two times in the ball game that the Captains left the bases loaded.
After Gallagher's strong start was over, lefty Skylar Arias entered the game for Lake County. The southpaw ran into trouble. Miles Gordon led off with a single and stole second. After Arias struck out Michael Beltre, the reliever hit Stuart Fairchild with a pitch to put runners on first and second. With speed on the bases, Dayton attempted a double steal, but Captains catcher Jonathan Laureano threw out Gordon at third for the second out. Fairchild then moved to second and Arias walked Montrell Marshall, bringing up John Sansone with two on and two outs. The southpaw struck out Sansone, but the pitch was in the dirt and skipped by Laureano, allowing Sansone to reach, fill the bases with Dragons and keep the inning going. Hendrik Clementina then made the Captains pay with a two-run single to right to give Dayton a 2-1 lead.
Lake County again had a golden opportunity in the seventh and came within about a foot of cashing in. Gonzalez hit a one-out double off of Chacon and moved to third on a ground out. With two outs, the Dragons brought in right-hander Austin Orewiler to face Benson, but the reliever hit Benson on an 0-2 pitch and walked Vicente to load the bases. Medina came up with the bags full and drilled a pitch to right that looked destined to leave the yard. As the ball soared toward the wall, Beltre retreated to the wall and ultimately made the catch with his back pressed up against the fence to end the inning.
In the ninth, the Dragons brought in John Ghyzel for the second straight night. The righty closer walked Friis to begin the inning and then got Gonzalez to line out to left. Jones bounced to second with Friis running on the pitch, moving the tying run to second with two outs. Ghyzel, however, got Benson to ground out to second base to end the game and seal his second straight save and his ninth of the year.
Chacon (1-0) picked up the win in relief. The right-hander worked 2.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, striking out three and walking none.
Arias (0-1) took the loss. He pitched two innings out of the bullpen and gave up two runs on two hits. He walked one batter, hit one and struck out two.
The Captains lost three out of four to Dayton in a series where all four games were decided by one run. Lake County has gone 1-7 against Dayton and six of the contests have been one-run games.
The Captains go back home on Friday to start a four-game series with the Great Lakes Loons. First pitch for the series opener at Classic Park is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Information about Classic Park or the Captains can be found online at www.captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-<st1:stockticker w:st="on">WINS (9467). Affordable ticket packages and group party and picnic options are available now.
