Captains Fall to Dragons 5-1 on Independence Day
EASTLAKE, Ohio – In the fourth game of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (6-7, 41-38) fell to the Dayton Dragons (5-8, 26-52) by a final score of 5-1 on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake. The Independence Day game was played in front of 6,622
EASTLAKE, Ohio – In the fourth game of a six-game series, the Lake County Captains (6-7, 41-38) fell to the Dayton Dragons (5-8, 26-52) by a final score of 5-1 on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.
The Independence Day game was played in front of 6,622 fans, Lake County’s largest home crowd of the season.
After Dayton surrendered a first-pitch leadoff home run to Captains RF Alfonsin Rosario, MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 Guardians prospect, to begin the home half of the first, the Dragons used three pitchers to hold Lake County scoreless for the remainder of the contest.
Two frames later in the top of the third, a solo blast to right field by Dayton LF Anthony Stephan would even things up at 1-1. The Dragons would then take their first lead of the night In the bottom of the fourth, when C Connor Burns doubled home DH Carter Graham to give Dayton a 2-1 advantage.
After a scoreless fifth inning, Dragons RF Ariel Almonte would launch an RBI double into the gap in left center field, boosting Dayton’s lead to 3-1. Two batters later, a pickoff throwing error to third base by Captains C Jacob Cozart, MLB Pipeline’s No. 14 Guardians prospect, allowed Burns to score. The errant throw proved costly, increasing the Dragons lead to 4-1.
To conclude the scoring for the evening, Dayton 3B Victor Acosta would deliver a two-out RBI double in the top of the eighth inning, giving Dayton a four-run cushion with six outs to get.
Lake County had two strong scoring opportunities on Friday night, but could not cash in on either one.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Captains had the bases loaded with two outs, but DH Jose Devers struck out swinging to end the frame.
Then, in the bottom of the eighth, Lake County would put two men in scoring position with two outs. But Cozart hit a sharp lineout to second base to end the inning.
After inducing the inning-ending lineout in the eighth, Dragons RHP Dylan Simmons (S, 1) would work a one-two-three ninth frame to secure a 5-1 Dayton victory and his first save of the season.
Dragons RHP Trey Braithwaite (W, 4-2) earned his fourth victory of the season on the hill. The right-hander worked three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just three hits and no walks, while striking out three.
Captains LHP Jackson Humphries (L, 0-8), MLB Pipeline’s No. 16 Guardians prospect, suffered his eighth loss of the season, permitting two runs (one earned) on three hits, while walking four and striking out three.
The fifth game of this week’s scheduled six-game series between the Captains and Dragons is scheduled for Saturday night at 7 p.m. It will be Forest City Night at the ballpark, where Lake County will wear special edition Forest City-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off postgame. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.
Notes to Know
- OF Alfonsin Rosario hit his 12th home run of the season on Friday night. The 21-year-old is one of just two Midwest League players with at least a .270 batting average, 10 home runs, and 35 RBI this season (also West Michigan C/1B Josue Briceño).
- OF Wuilfredo Antunez hit a two-out double in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday night. The 23-year-old ranks tied for third in the Midwest League with 31 extra-base hits in 62 games played this season.
- INF Jose Devers extended his hitting streak to eight games with a two-out single in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday night. The 22-year-old is batting .429 (15-for-35) with four doubles, one triple, three home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.331 OPS during this span.
About the Lake County Captains:
The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.