Dragons Score 7 in 6th, Harmon Excels in Return in Win over Lake County
Dragons 7, Lake County 1 Click here for the box score Dayton (R-H-E): 7-10-0; Lake County (R-H-E): 1-5-0 Win: Joseph Menefee (3-3); Loss: Robert Wegielnik (4-3); Save: Will Cannon (1) HR: Dayton: None HR: Lake County: Ryan Cesarini (1st, 0 on base in fifth inning). Dayton, Ohio—The Dayton Dragons scored
Dragons 7, Lake County 1
Click here for the box score
Dayton (R-H-E): 7-10-0; Lake County (R-H-E): 1-5-0
Win: Joseph Menefee (3-3); Loss: Robert Wegielnik (4-3); Save: Will Cannon (1)
HR: Dayton: None HR: Lake County: Ryan Cesarini (1st, 0 on base in fifth inning).
Dayton, Ohio—The Dayton Dragons scored seven runs in the sixth inning and starting pitcher Johnathan Harmon had an outstanding return from elbow surgery as the Dragons defeated the Lake County Captains 7-1 on Wednesday night. The Dragons and Captains have split the first two games of the six-game series.
A crowd of 7,499 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.
Game Summary:
Dayton starting pitcher Johnathan Harmon, coming back from Tommy John surgery, made his first appearance in a full-season league since he suffered the elbow injury with the Dragons on June 12, 2024. Harmon was outstanding, retiring the first 10 batters he faced. He allowed a lead-off home run in the fifth inning to Ryan Cesarini to break a scoreless tie.
Still trailing 1-0, the Dragons exploded for seven runs in the sixth inning, sending 12 batters to the plate. The rally began with a walk to Johnny Ascanio and a one-out single by Carter Graham that moved Ascanio to second. Carlos Sanchez followed with a game-tying double to left field that drove in Ascanio and moved Graham to second. Yerlin Confidan singled to left to drive in both Graham and Sanchez and give the Dragons a 3-1 lead. Jack Moss looped a single to center to move Confidan to second, and with two outs, Ryan McCrystal drilled a double to the fence in center field to score both Confidan and Moss and make it 5-1. After Peyton Stovall was hit by a pitch and Ascanio drew his second walk of the inning to load the bases, Anthony Stephan lined a single to center to drive in both McCrystal and Stovall and make it 7-1.
Harmon lasted four and two-thirds innings before reaching his pitch limit of 70 pitches. He allowed one run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Joseph Menefee (3-3) replaced Harmon and worked an inning and one-third of scoreless baseball to earn the win. Will Cannon fired three scoreless innings to earn his first save.
After the game, Harmon reacted with a huge smile when asked about his return to the mound after 14 months of rehab and recovery.
"It was an emotional night tonight for sure,” said Harmon. “Very emotional. The guys welcomed me in yesterday coming here. I just tried to slow the game down. Just tried to slow it down, take it pitch by pitch."
"Just get in there and fill it (the strike zone) up. That's the only thing I was trying to do. Throw strikes."
The Dragons had 10 hits in the game including six in the sixth inning. Stephan, McCrystal, and Confidan each had two hits and two RBI for the Dragons.
Up Next: The Dragons (12-23, 33-67) host the Captains (22-16, 57-47) on Thursday at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District at 7:05 pm in the third game of the six-game series. Luke Hayden (2-5, 4.01) will start for the Dragons. For tickets, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com/tickets.
On the Air: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. Games can be heard on smart phones, iPads, and other mobile devices via the free Dragons Mobile App, or on a computer at wone.com. Games are also available on HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2.
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More Information: The Dayton Dragons are the affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and play 66 home games at beautiful Day Air Ballpark, in the heart of the Water Street District. Contact the Dragons by calling at (937) 228-2287, emailing at [email protected], or go to daytondragons.com. For more information, please visit the following links:
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