Dayton's five-run sixth sinks Captains

(Dayton, OH) - The Lake County Captains (6-3) opened their six-game road trip with a 10-3 loss to the Dayton Dragons on Friday night at Fifth Third Field. Dayton scored five runs in the sixth inning and eight across their last three turns at the plate to snap a five-game losing streak.

The Dragons took an early 2-0 lead with one run each in the second and third. Bren Spillane slammed a one-out double off the left field wall in the second and came home to score on a single by Shard Munroe. The next inning, Captains starter Juan Mota hit Jonathan Willems with a pitch to start the inning and then walked Michael Siani. Dayton attempted a double steal and Bo Naylor 's throw to third sailed into left field to score Willems.
Lake County struck back to tie the game in the next two innings. In the top of the fourth, Will Benson broke the Captains' hitless drought against starter James Marinan with an infield single. The Captains eventually loaded the bases and Josh Rolette hit a sacrifice fly to deep left field that scored Benson to cut the Dragons' lead to 2-1. The next inning, Hosea Nelson started the frame with a double and later scored on a single to center by Bo Naylor to tie the score at 2-2.
Dayton exploded with five runs in the sixth to grab a 7-2 lead. Mota came back out to start the inning, but gave up a leadoff single to Pabel Manzanero, by a walk to Spillane, an RBI single by Munroe and an RBI single by Jay Schuyler before being pulled from the game. The Dragons kept the rally going against lefty Jake Miednik . The reliever hit Juan Martinez with a pitch and later surrendered a two-run single to Miguel Hernandez. Quentin Holmes ended the inning for Lake County by flagging down a deep drive to right-center by Mariel Bautista. The Captains' centerfielder ranged back to the wall and made the grab to end the inning.
The Captains grabbed a run back in the seventh. Nelson worked a one-out walk and Benson cracked a line drive into the right field corner. Nelson chugged around and scored all the way from first, while Benson hustled to third with an RBI triple to make it 7-3, Dayton.
The Dragons added two more runs in the seventh against Miednik and one more in the eighth against Manuel Alvarez . Schuyler knocked in Spillane with a single in the seventh and Willems followed two batters later with a sacrifice fly to left that drove home Munroe. In the eighth, Alvarez walked Bautista with one out, a throwing error by Marcos Gonzalez at third put two on and Spillane worked a walk. Munroe then knocked in his third run of the game with a grounder to second base that was hit too softly to turn two and ended up as a force out at second that plated Bautista to give the Dragons a 10-3 lead.
Dragons reliever Alexis Diaz picked up the win. Diaz (2-0) pitched two innings and allowed one run on one hit with one walk and three strikeouts.
Mota (0-1) took the loss. The Captains' starter pitched into the sixth, but was credited with five innings of work after he did not record an out in the sixth. He allowed six runs, five earned, on seven hits. Mota struck out five and walked three.
The Captains continue their series in Dayton on Saturday night. First pitch at Fifth Third Field is scheduled for 7:00 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.