Hot Rods Shutout Dragons 6-0 on Sunday

Dayton, Ohio-Bowling Green pitchers Jose Mujica and Yoel Espinal combined on a five-hit shutout as the Hot Rods defeated the Dayton Dragons 6-0 on Sunday afternoon. The Hot Rods have won the first two games of the four-game series.

 

Mujica (6-3) pitched out of trouble in each of the first three innings as the Dragons combined to go 0 for 8 with men in scoring position in those frames. He worked six innings, allowing four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. Espinal tossed the final three innings for the save, allowing just one hit with one walk.

 

Bowling Green scored two runs in the first inning to take the early lead, and held that 2-0 lead until they added four more runs in the sixth to close out the scoring. The Hot Rods finished the day with 10 hits.

 

Dragons starting pitcher Alex Webb made his Midwest League debut after being called up on Wednesday from Billings. Webb was the Reds ninth round draft pick last month after being selected the NAIA West Pitcher of the Year at the University of British Columbia, where he went 10-1 this spring with a 1.38 ERA. Webb worked the first three innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits with two walks and one strikeout to take the loss.

 

Ty Boyles replaced Webb and allowed three runs in two and one-third innings. Lucas Benenati allowed the final run, working two and two-thirds. Sarkis Ohanian pitched a scoreless ninth, notching four strikeouts in the inning as one batter reached on a third strike wild pitch.

 

The Dragons were led offensively by Daniel Sweet, who had two hits and a walk. Luis Gonzalez had a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth for the Dragons only extra base hit. Brantley Bell and Shane Mardirosian had the other two Dragons hits.

 

The Dragons (12-23, 33-72) host the Hot Rods (22-13, 59-45) on Monday at 7:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field in the third game of the series. Hard-throwing Tony Santillan, the Reds second round draft pick in 2015, will make his Dragons debut as the starting pitcher. Eduar Lopez (2-0, 0.73) will start for Bowling Green.

 

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.