Whitecaps Score 3 in 9th, Edge Dragons 5-4

West Michigan 5, Dragons 4

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Dayton, Ohio-Mike Gerber's two-run single to center field broke a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning as the West Michigan Whitecaps came from behind to defeat the Dayton Dragons 5-4 on Wednesday night. The Dayton loss snapped the team's nine-game home winning streak, one short of the franchise record.

A Fifth Third Field all-time record crowd of 9,796 attended the game. The previous stadium record was 9,558, set on August 1, 2009.

The Dragons took a 3-2 lead to the ninth inning as Jake Ehret, who had pitched a scoreless eighth, went to the mound to start the frame. West Michigan's David Gonzalez started the inning with a single to left field, and Ehret walked Rashad Brown on four pitches. Conor Krauss replaced Ehret with runners at first and second and no one out. Ross Kivett bunted for a base hit on a ball off the glove of Krauss to load the bases, and with Gerber at the plate, Krauss threw a wild pitch to bring in Gonzalez and tie the game at 3-3. Gerber then hit a ground ball through a drawn-in infield to drive in both Brown and Kivett to give the Whitecaps a 5-3 lead.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Dragons battled back to the verge of tying the game. With one out, Aristides Aquino reached on a two-base throwing error by West Michigan second baseman Joey Pankake, and Gavin LaValley walked to put the tying run on base. Narciso Crook then singled to left field to drive in Aquino and make it 5-4 as LaValley went to second. Then, in what might have been the biggest play of the game, Jonathan Reynoso hit a fly ball to short center field. Kivett, playing deep, raced in to try to make a lunging catch. He got a glove on the ball but could not hold on as it bounced off his glove and to the ground. But Kivett got to the ball quickly, regained his feet, and fired to second to get a force out on Crook for the second out of the inning. LaValley went to third and Reynoso was safe at first. Jimmy Pickens then went to the plate as a pinch hitter for Cory Thompson and grounded out to shortstop to end the game. 

The Dragons finished with 14 hits after collecting 16 on Tuesday, but they went just 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position and stranded 13 runners. Crook had a huge night at the plate, going 4 for 5 with a home run, double, two singles, and three runs batted in. Aquino had two hits, scored twice, and drove in a run.

Dragons starting pitcher Wyatt Strahan went six innings and allowed two runs on eight hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Ehret (3-3) was charged with the loss.

The Dragons (14-13 in the second half; 53-44 overall) host West Michigan (17-9, 50-45) again on Thursday night at 7:00 at Fifth Third Field in the rubber match to the series and the homestand. Tejay Antone (5-7, 3.11) will start for the Dragons against West Michigan's Spencer Turnbull (8-2, 2.95).

Thursday's game will be televised on WHIO Digital Channel 7.2 (Time Warner Cable channels 23 and 372). All Dragons games are broadcast on radio on Fox Sports 980 WONE and on the internet at wone.com. Games are also available on the Dayton Dragons mobile app.