Red Hot Dragons Win Again
Dayton (R-H-E): 9-13-2
Kane County (R-H-E): 4-7-0
Winning Pitcher: Curtis Partch (8-7);
Losing Pitcher: Murphy Smith (0-1);
Save: None
Home Runs:
Dayton: None.
Kane County: None.
Geneva, Ill.-Miguel Rojas went 3 for 3 and Kevin Coddington drove in three runs to lead the Dayton Dragons to a 9-4 victory over the Kane County Cougars on Sunday afternoon. The win was the seventh in the last eight games for the Dragons, who will try for a sweep of the Cougars in the last game of the three-game set on Monday night.
Dragons pitcher Curtis Partch won his fourth straight start to improve to 8-7. Partch worked six innings, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned) with two walks and two strikeouts.
Dragons center fielder Alex Oliveras, in just his second game with the club after being promoted from Billings, collected a double, triple, and two runs batted in to help a 13-hit attack.
The Dragons scored three runs in the top of the first inning to take a commanding lead on the Cougars, who entered the game with a five-game losing streak. Byron Wiley's line drive single to center brought in Rojas with one out, and Coddington followed with a two-run double.
Leading 3-1 after four innings, the Dragons extended their lead to 6-1 in the fifth. Coddington delivered a run-scoring single and Oliveras followed with a two-run triple to right field to give Dayton a five-run lead.
Kane County battled back with three runs in the bottom of the fifth to make it 6-4, but the Dragons answered with two in the seventh. Rojas and Carlos Mendez started the inning with back-to-back doubles and Humberto Sosa later added an RBI single to give Dayton an 8-4 lead. Rojas drove in a run in the eighth with a sacrifice fly to close out the scoring.
Mendez collected three hits and scored three runs to extend his hitting streak to nine straight games for Dayton. Wiley pushed his hitting streak to eight straight.
The Dragons (14-15, 42-57) play at Kane County (13-16, 54-45) on Monday at 7:30 p.m. (EDT). Oscar Castro (2-3, 7.18) will start for Dayton. The next home game at Fifth Third Field in Dayton is Tuesday, July 28th against the Peoria Chiefs.
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