Allen Pitches Dragons to 3-2 Win
July 26, 2012
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Dayton (R-H-E): 3-5-0
Great Lakes (R-H-E): 2-3-2
WP: James Allen (7-3)
LP: Duke von Schamann (2-1)
Sv: Carlos Contreras (11)
HR: Dayton: None
HR: Great Lakes: Darnell Sweeney (2nd, 1 on base in ninth inning).
Midland, Mich.-James Allen fired seven near-perfect innings and the Dayton Dragons held off a ninth inning comeback bid to edge the Great Lakes Loons 3-2 on Thursday night. The two teams have split the first two games of the three-game series.
Allen retired the first 14 batters he faced and did not allow a hit until the sixth inning. He did not allow a runner past first base and faced only one batter over the minimum, retiring 20 of the 22 hitters over seven scoreless innings. He allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out two to earn the win to improve to 7-3 on the year.
The Dragons picked up the lead in the fourth inning when Yorman Rodriguez tripled to right and scored on Sean Buckley's sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.
Mike Dennhardt replaced Allen and pitched a scoreless eighth inning, extending his scoreless streak to 13 innings, the longest of the year by a Dayton pitcher. Dennhardt has not allowed a run in July.
The Dragons added two more runs in the top of the ninth to take a 3-0 lead. Buckley walked and went to second on a single by Ryan Wright. Kyle Waldrop put down a perfect bunt to sacrifice the runners to second and third. Buckley scored on a balk to make it 2-0. Junior Arias walked and was picked off first base, but as the Loons executed the rundown of Arias, Wright raced in to score from third to make it 3-0.
In the bottom of the ninth, Dragons reliever Carlos Contreras issued a lead-off walk before Darnell Sweeney belted a two-run homer to make it 3-2. But Contreras retired the next three hitters to notch his 11th save.
The Dragons finished with just five hits. Wright was 2 for 4. Juan Silva had a double to go along with Rodriguez's triple.
The Dragons battle the Loons in the last game of the three-game series on Friday at 7:05 p.m. (WONE 980 AM). Robert Stephenson, the Cincinnati Reds first round draft pick in 2011, will start for the Dragons. Stephenson was 1-0 with a 2.05 ERA in seven starts with Billings in the Pioneer League. Great Lakes will counter with Arismendy Ozoria (6-5, 4.66).
Notes: The Dragons placed outfielder Jefry Sierra on the disabled list Thursday. Utility man Spencer Dickinson was activated from the disabled list.