Dragons Win 5-4; Winning Streak at 6
April 22, 2011
Dayton (R-H-E): 5-11-2
Great Lakes (R-H-E): 4-11-1
WP: Daniel Wolford (1-0)
LP: Bret Montgomery (0-1)
Sv: Blaine Howell (3)
HR: Dayton: Donald Lutz (4th, 0 on base in seventh inning).
HR: Great Lakes: None
Midland, Mich.-Donald Lutz hit a tie-breaking home run in the seventh inning and Jaren Matthews collected two hits and drove in two runs to lead the Dayton Dragons to a 5-4 victory over the Great Lakes Loons on Friday night. The win was the Dragons sixth in a row and lifted their record back to the .500 mark at 8-8.
Dayton broke a 1-1 tie with three runs in the seventh inning and took a 5-2 lead to the bottom of the ninth before Dragons reliever Blaine Howell struck out Bobby Coyle with the tying run at second to end the game.
Great Lakes scored a run on a wild pitch in the first inning before the Dragons tied the game in the second when Matthews singled in a run with two outs. It was still a 1-1 game when Lutz hit a home run to right field in the seventh, his fourth of the year, to break the tie. Two batters later, Matthews tripled to left-center field to drive in a run, and Matthews scored on Devin Lohman's single to right to make it 4-1.
Great Lakes scored in the eighth to make it 4-2, but Billy Hamilton's RBI single in the top of the ninth brought in Matthews from third to give Dayton a 5-2 lead.
Great Lakes collected two hits and took advantage of two walks by Howell in the bottom of the ninth to score two runs, the first allowed by Howell this season, but he struck out Coyle looking on a 3-2 pitch to end the game.
Dragons starting pitcher Daniel Renken pitched well but was not involved in the decision. He allowed just one unearned run over five and two-thirds innings, allowing five hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Reliever Daniel Wolford (1-0) worked two innings, allowing one run, to earn the win. Howell got the final four outs for his third save.
Dayton had 11 hits. Dominic D'Anna was 3 for 5 to raise his batting average to .370. Lutz and Matthews each had two hits.
Dayton will close out the series in Great Lakes on Saturday at 6:05 p.m. Josh Smith (1-1, 1.06) will start for the Dragons. The next home game is Monday, April 25 against the West Michigan Whitecaps at Fifth Third Field at 7:00 p.m.
Notes: Dragons outfielder Kurtis Muller, who left Thursday's game with an elbow injury, is expected to be out only a couple more days.