Ashcraft, Dragons end Lugnuts’ winning streak

*DAYTON, OH – *Graham Ashcraft struck out nine batters in 5 1/3 innings, leading the Dayton Dragons (6-3) to a 4-2 win over the Lansing Lugnuts (5-4) on Thursday night at Day Air Ballpark.

The result ended the Lugnuts’ four-game winning streak.

After scoring 16 runs combined in the first two games of the series, the Lugnuts were quieted by Ashcraft, a sixth-round selection in 2016 from UAB. The right-hander stranded two runners aboard in the first inning while striking out the side, and then whiffed two more in both the second and third innings before notching one strikeout apiece in the fourth and fifth innings.

Dayton’s offense, meanwhile, grabbed the lead for good two batters into the first inning thanks to a Michael Siani walk and a Quincy McAfee RBI double off Shohei Tomioka. Three batters later, Quin Cotton’s sacrifice fly gave the Dragons a 2-0 lead.

Tomioka worked two innings in his first professional start, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk with one strikeout.

Richard Guasch pitched the next four innings in relief, striking out six, giving up a third-inning home run to José Tello and an unearned run in the sixth on a walk to Cotton, two steals and a run-scoring throwing error by catcher Jared McDonald.

Those two runs proved pivotal: A Jake Suddleson RBI single in the fourth brought the Lugnuts within 3-1, and a Shane Selman bases-loaded walk in the sixth inning from reliever Jacques Pucheu trimmed the Dragon’s lead to 3-2.

Cotton’s sixth-inning run provided insurance, and the Lugnuts were unable to strike back against Pucheu in the seventh and eighth innings or Francis Peguero in the ninth.

In the loss, reliever Jack Weisenburger struck out two more batters in a scoreless bottom of the eighth, giving him ten strikeouts in four scoreless innings this season.

Lugnuts right-hander Colin Peluse (0.00 ERA) makes his first start of the season on Friday at 7:05 p.m., taking on Dayton right-hander Spencer Stockton (0.00 ERA). Peluse will be the ninth different Lugnuts starter in ten games this year.

The next Nuts homestand will run from Tuesday, May 25, through Sunday, May 30, against the Great Lakes Loons. To purchase tickets, please visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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