Tepera Pitches Lansing Past Dragons, 4-1

June 26, 2010

Dayton (R-H-E): 1-6-2
Lansing (R-H-E): 4-8-1

WP: Ryan Tepera (7-2)
LP: J.C. Sulbaran (3-4)
Sv: None

HR: Dayton: None
HR: Lansing: None

Lansing, Mich.-Starting pitcher Ryan Tepera allowed only four hits over seven shutout innings as the Lansing Lugnuts defeated the Dayton Dragons 4-1 on Saturday night. The Lugnuts have won the first two games of the second half over the Dragons.

Lansing broke a scoreless tie with a run in the fourth inning on a run-scoring single by Brad Glenn. They added two more runs in the fifth, keyed by an RBI double by Kenny Wilson, to go ahead 3-0. Lansing tacked on one more run in the eighth on a double by Kevin Nolan to extend their lead to 4-0.

Meanwhile, Tepera sailed through the Dragons lineup with little trouble. He did not allow a runner past second base and the only man to reach against him after the third inning came as a result of an error. He struck out four on the night, walking one.

Casey Beck pitched a perfect eighth inning for Lansing. Brian Slover came on to work the ninth inning and allowed a lead-off single to Ryan LaMarre and a run-scoring infield hit to Josh Garton as Dayton avoided the shutout. Slover walked Cameron Satterwhite with two outs to bring the tying run to the plate, but he induced a game-ending ground out to first base from Mark Fleury.

Dragons starting pitcher J.C. Sulbaran suffered the loss. He worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with three walks and five strikeouts. Ezequiel Infante tossed two and one-third innings in relief of Sulbaran, allowing one hit and one run.

Dayton finished with six hits, all singles by six different players. Satterwhite went one for three to extend his hitting streak to 12 straight games, the longest of the year by a Dayton player. LaMarre was also one for three to extend his hitting streak to seven straight.

The Dragons play at Lansing on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. to close out the three-game series. Jacob Johnson (4-4, 4.40), who has won his last four starts, will take the mound for the Dragons. Ryan Shopshire (4-6, 5.56) will start for Lansing. The Dragons open a six-game homestand Monday night against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Fifth Third Field. Ricky Bowen will start Monday for Dayton. Tim Crabbe will get the start on Tuesday while J.C. Sulbaran will start for the Dragons Wednesday.

Notes: The game marked the first Dragons game in the last nine that was decided by more than two runs. Six of the previous eight games had been decided by one run and the other two by two runs.

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