Muller's Game-Winning Hit Lifts Dragons to 11 Inning Win
June 7, 2012
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Lake County (R-H-E): 3-8-1
Dayton (R-H-E): 4-12-0
WP: James Allen (2-2)
LP: Rob Nixon (1-1)
Sv: None
HR: Dayton: None
HR: Lake County: Zach MacPhee (1st, 0 on base in second inning).
Dayton, Ohio-Kurtis Muller's line drive hit to right field brought in Kyle Waldrop from third base with the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Dayton Dragons completed their comeback with a 4-3 win over the Lake County Captains on Thursday. A crowd of 8,184 saw the Dragons battle back from a 3-0 deficit to notch their fourth straight victory.
The Dragons tied the game at 3-3 with a run in the bottom of the ninth. In the Dayton 11th inning, Waldrop led off with a base hit up the middle. With one out, Waldrop went to second on Nick O'Shea's ground out before back-to-back walks were issued to Juan Perez and Brandon Dailey to load the bases with two outs. Muller followed with a liner to right. Lake County outfielder Todd Hankins raced in and to his left and made a diving attempt to catch the ball, but it skidded off the grass about a foot from his glove and bounced on by toward the fence, easily allowing Waldrop to score to end the game.
The Dragons have won six of their last seven home games. Overall, they have won six of their last eight and taken three consecutive series victories.
The Dragons fell behind 3-0 after two innings. They started back in the fourth when Dailey walked, went to second on an error, to third on a ground out, and scored on Steve Selsky's RBI single with two outs to make it 3-1. In the seventh, Waldrop and Sean Buckley delivered back-to-back doubles to pull the Dragons to within one at 3-2.
Buckley led off the bottom of the ninth with a double to deep center field. He went to third on O'Shea's infield single, and scored when Dailey grounded into a fielder's choice on a ball hit to third. O'Shea was forced at second on the play, and Dailey beat the throw to first to prevent what would have been a game-ending double play as the score was tied at 3-3.
It was a great night for the Dayton bullpen. Relievers Cole Green, Carlos Contreras, and James Allen combined to fire six shutout innings, allowing just three hits as the Dayton hitters battled back. Allen (2-2) pitched a perfect top of the 11th inning and was credited with the win.
The Dragons finished with 12 hits. Buckley was 3 for 5 with two doubles. Muller, Selsky, Waldrop, and O'Shea all had two hits.
The Dragons (25-35) host the Captains (28-31) on Friday in the last game of the series (WONE 980 AM) at Fifth Third Field at 7:05 p.m. Jacob Johnson (0-1, 2.57) will start for Dayton against Lake County's Felix Sterling (2-5, 5.86). The Dragons open a new series at home on Saturday against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. Games on Friday and Saturday will be televised on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 (Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372) and MiLB.com.