5-Run 7th Inning Keys Dragons 8-5 Win
July 12, 2012
Click Here to see the Box Score
Dayton (R-H-E): 8-16-0
Peoria (R-H-E): 5-11-2
WP: Stalin Gerson (4-6)
LP: Justin Berg (0-1)
Sv: None
HR: Dayton: None
HR: Peoria: Taiwan Easterling (3rd, 1 on base in ninth inning).
Peoria, Ill.-The Dayton Dragons scored five runs in the seventh inning on the way to an 8-5 victory over the Peoria Chiefs on Thursday night. The two clubs have split the first two games of the series with the rubber match set for Friday night.
The Dragons finished the game with 16 hits despite having only two at the end of the fourth inning. Seven of the 16 were infield hits including three bunt hits. Sean Buckley led the way, going 3 for 5 with three runs batted in. His triple was the team's only extra base hit. Juan Perez had three hits and scored two runs. Kyle Waldrop, Juan Silva, and Jefry Sierra each had two hits.
Dayton starting pitcher Stalin Gerson (4-6) worked the first six innings and recorded the victory. He allowed seven hits and two runs while walking one and striking out four. Reliever Mike Dennhardt followed Gerson and fired two scoreless innings, allowing one hit with one strikeout. Dennhardt extended his scoreless inning streak to nine covering his last four games out of the bullpen. Ryan Kemp pitched the ninth, allowing three runs on three hits to close out the game.
Peoria took a 1-0 lead in the fourth before the Dragons tied the game in the top of the fifth. Waldrop singled to center field with one out, went to third on an error, and scored on Sierra's two-out single to left-center to make it 1-1. Peoria scored one in the sixth to regain the lead at 2-1.
Ryan Wright was hit by a pitch to start the Dayton seventh. Waldrop singled to left to move Wright to second, and Yovan Gonzalez reached on a bunt single to load the bases with no one out. Silva's sacrifice fly to left brought in Wright to tie the game. Sierra reached on a costly fielding error by Peoria second baseman Zeke DeVoss to load the bases again. Junior Arias grounded into a fielder's choice as Waldrop scored to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead. With two outs, Perez lined a single to right to drive in Gonzalez, and after Joe Terry walked, Buckley singled up the middle to bring in both Arias and Perez to make it 6-2. Ten batters came to the plate in the inning.
The Dragons added two more runs in the ninth as Buckley tripled in one run and then scored on Wright's single to make it 8-2. Peoria's Taiwan Easterling hit a two-run home run in the ninth as part of a three-run inning to close out the scoring.
The Dragons (8-12) play in Peoria again Friday at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) against the Chiefs (7-13) in the series finale as the Dragons try to win their third straight series. Jacob Johnson (1-1, 3.64) will start for the Dragons against Peoria's Joe Zeller (0-2, 2.70). The Dragons open a three-game set at Burlington on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The next home game is Wednesday when they host Clinton at Fifth Third Field.
Notes: Outfielder Yorman Rodriguez missed the game due to a strained left quad suffered on Wednesday. He might be back in the lineup Friday.