Sale's HR Lifts Hot Rods to 5-4 Win over Dragons
May 17, 2012
Click Here to see the Box Score
Dayton (R-H-E): 4-7-0
Bowling Green (R-H-E): 5-10-2
WP: Stayton Thomas (1-3)
LP: James Allen (1-2)
Sv: Jason McEachern (1)
HR: Dayton: Yovan Gonzalez (3rd, 0 on base in ninth inning).
HR: Bowling Green: Josh Sale (4th, 2 on base in sixth inning).
Bowling Green, Ky.-Josh Sale drilled a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to lead the Bowling Green Hot Rods to a 5-4 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night. The win lifted the Hot Rods to 23-18 on the year while the Dragons fell to 14-27.
Dragons starting pitcher Jacob Johnson made his first appearance in an official game since September 2, 2010 after returning from shoulder surgery. He pitched well, going five inning and allowing three hits and one run with one walk and one strikeout. He left the game with a 2-1 lead but was not involved in the decision.
The Dragons scored in first two innings to take an early lead. In the first, Juan Perez singled to start the game and eventually scored on Joe Terry's RBI ground out. In the second, Juan Silva walked, stole second, and scored on Sean Buckley's two-out single to left to make it 2-0. The Hot Rods scored a single run in the fourth to make it 2-1.
In the sixth, Sale blasted a long home run to right field off Dragons reliever James Allen (1-2) with two men on base and two outs to give Bowling Green a 4-2 lead.
The Dragons scored in the seventh when Yovan Gonzalez singled, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on Kyle Waldrop's double off the center field fence to make it 4-3. Waldrop was at second with no one out, but Buckley and Junior Arias both struck out and Perez grounded out to the pitcher to end the threat.
In the Dayton eighth, still trailing 4-3, Ryan Wright doubled to start the inning. But Terry, Steve Selsky, and Silva struck out in order to retire the side.
Bowling Green scored one run in the bottom of the eighth on a wild pitch with two outs, and it turned out to be a big run as they took a 5-3 lead into the ninth. Yovan Gonzalez opened the inning with a home run to left field for the Dragons to make it 5-4. The next two batters were retired before Arias walked with two outs, but Perez grounded out to the pitcher to end the game.
Dayton finished with seven hits. Waldrop had two doubles. Gonzalez was 2 for 4 with a homer and a single.
The Dragons meet the Hot Rods again on Friday at 8:05 p.m. EDT (WONE 980 AM Radio). Dan Jensen (1-3, 2.28) will start for Dayton while Bowling Green will counter with Jake Partridge (4-0, 1.32). The next home game is Saturday against Great Lakes at 7:05 p.m. at Fifth Third Field. The game will be televised on WHIO 7.2 (Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372). Hall-of-Fame writer Hal McCoy will serve as guest commentator.