Dayton Dragons: Pitching steps up, hitting stays hot in 6th straight win
Jul. 26—Three wins in final at-bats this week and lots of runs put the attention on the Dayton Dragons hitters. Those guys had another big night Saturday, July 25.
But the pitchers had their best night of the week, twice not letting a couple hits turn into rallies, relying on the defense behind them, and doing their fair share in an 8-2 victory over Cedar Rapids.
“Love this team — it’s always fun pitching for a team that scores a lot,” Brady Afthim said after pitching the final two innings. “Makes it very pressure-free out there, knowing that usually I’m in or anybody’s in with a lead, and if anything happens, the offense is going to come pick us up.”
The Dragons (53-40, 14-13 second half) won their sixth straight for the third time this season and the first time in the second half. On Sunday they play for their second six-game sweep this season with Ty Floyd on the mound and top relievers Victor Diaz and Trent Hodgdon ready in the bullpen.
“If he pitches the way that he’s been pitching the last two outings, we’re going to get a chance,” manager Julio Morillo said of Floyd. “Hopefully we can we can hit enough and put some pressure on them and hopefully we can get a sweep.”
McCoy (4-3) set the tone after an iffy first inning. Eduardo Tait, the Twins No. 3 prospect, tripled with two outs and scored on an infield single. Then he allowed only one more hit over the next four innings.
“Just threw a lot of strikes, especially my off speed was a lot better today,” McCoy said. “Last week I was a little bit more middle of the plate with a lot of stuff, but today I executed my pitches well. And defense played great behind me, so it’s a recipe for success.”
McCoy joined the Dragons in late May and was integral to the playoff push in June when the Dragons won the first-half division title. He was the Reds’ minor league pitcher of the month with a 2-0 record and 1.88 ERA in five starts.
But on the Dragons 2-6 road trip leading into and out of the All-Star break, McCoy allowed nine runs to Great Lakes and six to Lake County.
“It’s getting long in the season and it’s his first full season, too,” Morillo said. “Teams do a really good preparing for him. He’s having to adjust to what they’re doing. He didn’t pitch different from his game plan, but he pitched different than he was. Hopefully he can carry on through the rest of the season.”
Stephen Quigley pitched the sixth and seventh. He allowed a run in the sixth after third baseman Tyson Lewis made his third stellar play of the game when he started a double play. But Quigley didn’t let a walk, two singles and a run get to him. Nor a one-out double in the seventh.
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Dayton Dragons partner with Water Street District for ‘Star Wars’-themed block party
- Alex Cutler — Staff Writer
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Dayton Dragons: Lewis homers in his turn for late-game heroics
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
The Dayton Dragons didn’t really need a theme this week, but they have one.
Late-game heroes.
On Tuesday, July 21, the Dragons scored three runs in the ninth and won in the 10th on Jacob Friend’s sacrifice fly. On Wednesday, July 22, Ryan McCrystal singled in the winning run in the ninth. On Thursday, July 23, Victor Acosta played hero all night by scoring three runs with no assistance.
Friday, July 24, was Reds’ No. 3 prospect Tyson Lewis’ turn to wear the hero’s cape. He didn’t wear the flashy green cleats he’s been sporting, opting for traditional black. Green would have clashed with the Friday night orange jerseys.
But did he ever clash with a pitch in the eighth inning. With two outs and McCrystal on second with a leadoff double, the left-handed hitting Lewis blistered the baseball on a line drive to left for a two-run homer, the difference maker in the Dragons’ 9-7 victory over Cedar Rapids, their fifth win in a row.
“We’ve kind of been doing it all week, and honestly, since I’ve been here, we’ve just been fighting ’til the last out every night,” Lewis said. “Tonight it was me, but it seems like every night someone’s always been coming through. It’s been fun to play with these guys.”
The only question about Lewis’ homer was whether it was high enough to clear the wall in the left-center alley. McCrystal saw that it was over the outfielder’s head and was sprinting for home. He didn’t slow down until he got the sign that the ball cleared the wall.
“Oh my gosh!” was manager Julio Morillo’s reaction. “You see how that thing came off the bat? It’s like a righty hitting a lefty.”
The homer was Lewis’ third since joining the Dragons on June 30.
“I was just telling myself be on time,” Lewis said. “I faced that guy early in the week and kind of knew what he had. I saw that big curveball pop, and I just told myself to keep my direction and hit that ball up the field and ended up hitting it pretty well.”
The Dragons secured a Midwest League playoff spot by winning the East Division first-half title. Their best hitters were promoted to AA Chattanooga. Lewis, 20, came to Dayton to help fill the void. He’s hitting .304 and has advanced from the bottom third of order to the middle third. Lewis was drafted as a shortstop out of high school in 2024, but he’s playing third base exclusively for the Dragons.
Morillo said after a bit of slow start at third he’s seeing Lewis grow well into the position. He likes the pop in Lewis’ bat. But the game changer he sees is work ethic and a professional approach.
“How he goes about his business, everything, weights, recovery, hitting, defense, game knowledge — he wants to be the best,” Morillo said.
Lewis is a priority prospect so he is an everyday player. Morillo said Lewis doesn’t want any days off.
“You love to see that,” he said. “That’s 80% of the battle — how good of preparation you do and how good you are with your job. And after that you just go play the game.”
The Dragons (52-40, 13-13 second half) started fast with a 4-1 lead after two innings. Julio Carerras and Lewis each knocked in a run in the first inning. Mason Neville and McCrystal collected an RBI apiece in the second on groundouts.
But by the fifth inning the Kernels led 7-5 and the game started to resemble Tuesday’s 14-13 Dragons victory in 10 innings. Dragons starter Deivi Villafana’s debut started well with one run through three innings. But the Kernels got to him for six runs in the fourth and fifth.
Friend kept the Tuesday vibe alive when he launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score 7-7. From there a pitchers’ duel ensued, interrupted only by Lewis’ laser.
Over the final three innings, well-traveled reliever Bryce Hubbart was Robin to Lewis’ Batman. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out six.
“Bryce is awesome, man,” said catcher Diego Omana. “I catch Bryce in Double A in the beginning of the year. I know him, his pitches and it’s nasty.”
Hubbart joined the team Friday and allowed a hit to start the seventh and hit the next batter. The Kernels bunted them to second and third. But he struck out the next batter to begin a string of retiring the final eight batters he faced. His three innings were a big help to a bullpen that has seen heavy use this week.
The Reds drafted Hubbart out of Florida State in 2022 in the third round. He was ranked the Reds’ No. 20 prospect. But Hubbart’s career has not progressed as expected. This is his fourth season, and he’s pitched at all four minor-league levels this summer. This is his third tour with the Dragons.
“He said today, ‘I still have a locker, so as long as I still have a locker, I’m gonna do everything I can so I can achieve my dream,'” Morillo said.
Omana, from Venezuela, saw rare action because he speaks Spanish. Morillo said Omana will catch Villafana, who is from the Dominican Republic, the rest of the season.
Omana hadn’t started since June 19 and had only two at-bats since. But he was one of four Dragons with three hits, joining regulars Lewis, McCrystal and Acosta.
“It’s awesome because I didn’t play too much in a while,” Omana said. “I just bring energy to the team, get the pitchers ready for the game. And when I get the opportunity, have fun. That’s going to happen when you practice hard and are coming with good energy every day.”
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Dayton Dragons: Acosta, pitching, clean play lead to 4th straight win
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
You could call all the breaks the Dayton Dragons got Thursday, July 23, lucky. But manager Julio Morillo wouldn’t.
For starters, Cedar Rapids committed six errors. The Kernels didn’t stop there, contributing in many other ways to the Dragons’ cause. So much that only three hits didn’t prevent the Dragons from winning 5-3 at Day Air Ballpark to extend their winning streak to four games.
“Lucky … you can put it that way, but we also created those things,” Morillo said. “That’s part of the game. You create those situations. And capitalizing on the mistakes that they make, that’s the game as well.”
Cedar Rapids entered the game with 110 errors in 90 games. Their six errors Thursday equaled a season high. The Kernels’ record is 37-54 and 6-21 in the second half. Paraphrasing a bit what former NFL coach Dennis Green famously said, the Dragons could say, “They are who we thought they were.”
The Kernels started by committing errors like a pro golfer who can’t stop making bogeys, four in the first three innings and five in the first five.
Add these mistakes to the mix in the first five innings while the Dragons (51-40, 12-13) took a 4-2 lead: three hit batters, three walks, a balk, a wild pitch (scored a run), two unearned runs, five stolen bases allowed and a Little League inside-the-park homer.
One Dragons hitter had a memorable night. Victor Acosta, batting ninth as the DH, scored three runs all by himself.
In the second inning, he tripled to the left-field corner. And when shortstop Jose Salas took the cutoff throw, turned and threw wildly to third, Acosta scored easily for a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Acosta hit his fourth homer for a 3-1 lead. The fan who caught the home run on the left-field lawn with his bare hands made the best defensive play of the night against the Dragons.
In the eighth, Acosta walked, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error by catcher Enrique Jimenez, as he stole third, for a 5-3 lead.
“It’s exciting because we come in here every day to practice and then just go into the game to make it happen,” Acosta said. “Everything is fun, we make the playoffs, and we’re just excited to be here every day.”
The Dragons are relying more on stolen bases than they did while winning the first-half East Division title. They don’t have as much home run power as they did with Alfredo Duno, Carter Graham and Kien Vu. Morillo said the plan for this series is to take advantage of the Kernels’ inability to control the running game.
Acosta, Tyson Lewis, Peyton Stovall and Marcus Smith each stole two bases. The eight stolen bases tied the club record achieved two other times.
The Kernels’ trouble began in the first inning when Ryan McCrystal reached on an infield error with one out. Then, Julio Carerras was hit by a pitch, and Lewis reached on another error to load the bases. With two outs, Jacob Friend was hit by a pitch for a 1-0 lead.
The Dragons made the score 4-2 in the fifth. Lewis reached base when the first baseman dropped a throw. He stole second and moved to third on a balk. When Mason Neville struck out for the second out, Lewis scored on a strike-three wild pitch.
The errors, the baserunning, all of it, were needed. The Dragons were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Other than Acosta’s two big hits, only Smith had a two-out single in the seventh.
The Dragons committed no errors — neither did Roof Man with a late-game appearance — and three pitchers held the Kernels to four hits. They manufactured two runs against starter Luke Hayden and homered against Trent Hodgdon in the eighth.
Hayden made his fourth start since being on the injured list with a hamstring strain from late April to July 4. He’s an important part of the rotation the Dragons will need to pitch well in the playoffs.
Hayden pitched 4 2/3 innings, equaling his longest start this month, and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out six, including three in order in the fourth.
“I feel back to normal,” Hayden said. “I feel like my leg is healthy. Just continuing to go out there and pitch more and work through a couple things and get a little stamina back. That’s one area where I could improve on. But other than that, I feel good.”
The two at-bats he wants back are a walk and a hit batter to No. 9 hitter Andy Lugo. He scored the first time and moved a runner ahead who scored the second time. When his pitch count hit 82 in the fifth, Morillo pulled him.
“I would like him to win more counts, but that takes time,” Morillo said. “His stuff is really good, but we just need to get him to win the counts so he can go deeper in the games.”
Hayden was backed by Victor Diaz (2-0) who allowed nothing in 2 innings and struck out five, including the side in order in the seventh. Hodgdon pitched the final two innings, struck out four and earned his sixth save.
“Victor and Trent, they’re dudes and their stuff speaks for themselves,” Hayden said. “That’s the whole motto is just attack guys relentlessly and get hitters on their heels. And I think that’s exactly what we did tonight.”
Plus, control the running game, play error free and watch Acosta run around the bases.
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Dayton Dragons return to TV this weekend — here’s how to watch
- Travis Erickson — Staff Writer
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Dayton Dragons: McCrystal stars in second straight walk-off win
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
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Dayton Dragons: Friend sacrifice fly caps comeback victory in 10th
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
For almost five hours, the clock — metaphorically — threatened to strike midnight on the Dayton Dragons many times.
They trailed 6-0, 7-3 and 13-10.
But, at 11:59 p.m., the Dragons escaped midnight and defeat by putting the ball in play. Jacob Friend lofted a fly ball to deep left field, sending Julio Carreras home for the tie-breaking run and a 14-13 victory over Cedar Rapids with few left to witness it at Day Air Ballpark.
“It’s always fun to be the guy,” said Friend who was mobbed by teammates behind first base. “The goal there is just to pass it to the next guy. So that’s what we were trying to do. I just got in the air enough.”
Ninety-nine percent of the fans who were in the stadium for the first pitch cleared out after a one hour and 29-minute rain delay in the middle of the seventh inning. To be fair to those who left, the Dragons trailed 12-10. They had seen their money’s worth for seven innings, but they sure missed a lot in the final three and a half innings.
The Dragons (49-40, 10-13 second half) faced a 13-10 deficit in the ninth. But Cedar Rapids reliever Nick Trabacchi did them a favor by walking Friend and Mason Neville to start the inning. After a pitching change and a strikeout, more good fortune came when Victor Acosta loaded the bases on a catcher’s interference call.
Bases loaded, not a ball put in play, and the top of the order was next.
They rewarded the few handfuls of fans left. Peyton Stovall got his first hit with a two-run single to right, sending Acosta to third. Ryan McCrystal followed with a line drive to left for a sacrifice fly to score Acosta with the tying run.
The Kernels (37-52, 6-19) moved their free runner to third in the 10th on an infield single off the leg of pitcher Brady Afthim. The Kernels got tricky, but the Dragons were ready.
When Afthim struck out Graham Brown, Henry Kusiak did the steal-and-stop play to create a rundown in hopes the runner on third would score. Pinch runner Andy Lugo broke for home, but the Dragons let Kusiak go and retired Lugo in a 2-4-5-2-6 rundown to end the inning with the score tied.
“We kind of knew they we’re going do the steal-stop there,” Morillo said. “They like to do that a lot so we were ready. Even before the game we talked about it. And we executed it well, which is great.”
The Dragons’ 10th began with a strikeout. But Carerras stayed alert at second base, made some green-light eye contact with manager and third-base coach Julio Morillo, and stole third for one of the game’s biggest plays.
“Huge stolen base by Julio in that situation,” Morillo said. “He read it well. It was given to him. Why not? Maybe you don’t do it with nobody out, but why not? You take a shot.”
Tyson Lewis, who had three hits and an RBI, worked a great at-bat, fouling off five pitches before earning a 10-pitch walk. Then Friend ended it.
The Dragons also won because of the relief work of Afthim. In his first two appearances since joining the team he allowed three runs each time. This time he struck out three batters in the eighth on nine pitches for the rare immaculate inning.
“It was a lot of fun to watch,” Friend said of his view from left field. “Me and the bullpen were screaming at each other running in after that. That might be the first time I’ve ever seen it happen in game. I loved it.”
Afthim (2-0) allowed a run in the ninth, but he pitched three innings that finally held the Kernels in check.
After two innings, the game vibed like one that would require double-digit runs to win. Balls were being hit hard, others were finding holes and you just knew it would be a long night.
The Kernels brought the power early when Yasser Mercedes led off the game with a home run to deep left. Dragons starter David Lorduy couldn’t keep the ball in the park in the second.
With two outs, Dameury Pena tripled and kept running to score on an error when Friend struggled to pick up the ball. Still, it was 2-0 with two outs. But a walk, homer by Graham Brown, walk, homer by 19-year-old Eduardo Tait (the Twins’ No. 3 prospect) and the Kernels led 6-0.
The Dragons scored three in the second on four singles with the help of a balk and catcher’s interference. Alfredo Alcantara got the first run home on a groundout. Acosta and McCrystal singled in the next two and it was 6-3.
Danny DeAndrade homered in the third for a 7-3 Kernels lead. Neville led off the fourth for the Dragons with his fifth home run, another run scored on Stovall’s groundout and the score was 7-5. Friend hit a two-run double in the fifth to tie the score.
Lorduy lasted into the sixth and left with one on and one out. But the Kernels answered with Brown’s two-run single in the sixth to lead 9-7. The single ricocheted off pitcher Graham Osman into shallow right field. If he had caught it or it had gotten through to an infielder, the inning would have ended with the score tied.
No worries. McCrystal and Lewis hit RBI singles to key a three-run sixth for a 10-9 lead.
And no worries for the Kernels. They got a run on a throwing error by third baseman Lewis and two more on a single by Miguel Briceno.
Then the rain was near. By the time the tarp was in place over the infield, the heavy rain began to fall and fans flooded the exits.
Eighty-nine minutes later the real fun began.
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Dayton Dragons partner with Water Street District for ‘Star Wars’-themed block party
- Alex Cutler — Staff Writer
Dayton Dragons: Lewis homers in his turn for late-game heroics
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
The Dayton Dragons didn’t really need a theme this week, but they have one.
Late-game heroes.
On Tuesday, July 21, the Dragons scored three runs in the ninth and won in the 10th on Jacob Friend’s sacrifice fly. On Wednesday, July 22, Ryan McCrystal singled in the winning run in the ninth. On Thursday, July 23, Victor Acosta played hero all night by scoring three runs with no assistance.
Friday, July 24, was Reds’ No. 3 prospect Tyson Lewis’ turn to wear the hero’s cape. He didn’t wear the flashy green cleats he’s been sporting, opting for traditional black. Green would have clashed with the Friday night orange jerseys.
But did he ever clash with a pitch in the eighth inning. With two outs and McCrystal on second with a leadoff double, the left-handed hitting Lewis blistered the baseball on a line drive to left for a two-run homer, the difference maker in the Dragons’ 9-7 victory over Cedar Rapids, their fifth win in a row.
“We’ve kind of been doing it all week, and honestly, since I’ve been here, we’ve just been fighting ’til the last out every night,” Lewis said. “Tonight it was me, but it seems like every night someone’s always been coming through. It’s been fun to play with these guys.”
The only question about Lewis’ homer was whether it was high enough to clear the wall in the left-center alley. McCrystal saw that it was over the outfielder’s head and was sprinting for home. He didn’t slow down until he got the sign that the ball cleared the wall.
“Oh my gosh!” was manager Julio Morillo’s reaction. “You see how that thing came off the bat? It’s like a righty hitting a lefty.”
The homer was Lewis’ third since joining the Dragons on June 30.
“I was just telling myself be on time,” Lewis said. “I faced that guy early in the week and kind of knew what he had. I saw that big curveball pop, and I just told myself to keep my direction and hit that ball up the field and ended up hitting it pretty well.”
The Dragons secured a Midwest League playoff spot by winning the East Division first-half title. Their best hitters were promoted to AA Chattanooga. Lewis, 20, came to Dayton to help fill the void. He’s hitting .304 and has advanced from the bottom third of order to the middle third. Lewis was drafted as a shortstop out of high school in 2024, but he’s playing third base exclusively for the Dragons.
Morillo said after a bit of slow start at third he’s seeing Lewis grow well into the position. He likes the pop in Lewis’ bat. But the game changer he sees is work ethic and a professional approach.
“How he goes about his business, everything, weights, recovery, hitting, defense, game knowledge — he wants to be the best,” Morillo said.
Lewis is a priority prospect so he is an everyday player. Morillo said Lewis doesn’t want any days off.
“You love to see that,” he said. “That’s 80% of the battle — how good of preparation you do and how good you are with your job. And after that you just go play the game.”
The Dragons (52-40, 13-13 second half) started fast with a 4-1 lead after two innings. Julio Carerras and Lewis each knocked in a run in the first inning. Mason Neville and McCrystal collected an RBI apiece in the second on groundouts.
But by the fifth inning the Kernels led 7-5 and the game started to resemble Tuesday’s 14-13 Dragons victory in 10 innings. Dragons starter Deivi Villafana’s debut started well with one run through three innings. But the Kernels got to him for six runs in the fourth and fifth.
Friend kept the Tuesday vibe alive when he launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score 7-7. From there a pitchers’ duel ensued, interrupted only by Lewis’ laser.
Over the final three innings, well-traveled reliever Bryce Hubbart was Robin to Lewis’ Batman. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out six.
“Bryce is awesome, man,” said catcher Diego Omana. “I catch Bryce in Double A in the beginning of the year. I know him, his pitches and it’s nasty.”
Hubbart joined the team Friday and allowed a hit to start the seventh and hit the next batter. The Kernels bunted them to second and third. But he struck out the next batter to begin a string of retiring the final eight batters he faced. His three innings were a big help to a bullpen that has seen heavy use this week.
The Reds drafted Hubbart out of Florida State in 2022 in the third round. He was ranked the Reds’ No. 20 prospect. But Hubbart’s career has not progressed as expected. This is his fourth season, and he’s pitched at all four minor-league levels this summer. This is his third tour with the Dragons.
“He said today, ‘I still have a locker, so as long as I still have a locker, I’m gonna do everything I can so I can achieve my dream,'” Morillo said.
Omana, from Venezuela, saw rare action because he speaks Spanish. Morillo said Omana will catch Villafana, who is from the Dominican Republic, the rest of the season.
Omana hadn’t started since June 19 and had only two at-bats since. But he was one of four Dragons with three hits, joining regulars Lewis, McCrystal and Acosta.
“It’s awesome because I didn’t play too much in a while,” Omana said. “I just bring energy to the team, get the pitchers ready for the game. And when I get the opportunity, have fun. That’s going to happen when you practice hard and are coming with good energy every day.”
Complete Dragons Coverage
Dayton Dragons: Acosta, pitching, clean play lead to 4th straight win
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
You could call all the breaks the Dayton Dragons got Thursday, July 23, lucky. But manager Julio Morillo wouldn’t.
For starters, Cedar Rapids committed six errors. The Kernels didn’t stop there, contributing in many other ways to the Dragons’ cause. So much that only three hits didn’t prevent the Dragons from winning 5-3 at Day Air Ballpark to extend their winning streak to four games.
“Lucky … you can put it that way, but we also created those things,” Morillo said. “That’s part of the game. You create those situations. And capitalizing on the mistakes that they make, that’s the game as well.”
Cedar Rapids entered the game with 110 errors in 90 games. Their six errors Thursday equaled a season high. The Kernels’ record is 37-54 and 6-21 in the second half. Paraphrasing a bit what former NFL coach Dennis Green famously said, the Dragons could say, “They are who we thought they were.”
The Kernels started by committing errors like a pro golfer who can’t stop making bogeys, four in the first three innings and five in the first five.
Add these mistakes to the mix in the first five innings while the Dragons (51-40, 12-13) took a 4-2 lead: three hit batters, three walks, a balk, a wild pitch (scored a run), two unearned runs, five stolen bases allowed and a Little League inside-the-park homer.
One Dragons hitter had a memorable night. Victor Acosta, batting ninth as the DH, scored three runs all by himself.
In the second inning, he tripled to the left-field corner. And when shortstop Jose Salas took the cutoff throw, turned and threw wildly to third, Acosta scored easily for a 2-0 lead.
In the fourth, Acosta hit his fourth homer for a 3-1 lead. The fan who caught the home run on the left-field lawn with his bare hands made the best defensive play of the night against the Dragons.
In the eighth, Acosta walked, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error by catcher Enrique Jimenez, as he stole third, for a 5-3 lead.
“It’s exciting because we come in here every day to practice and then just go into the game to make it happen,” Acosta said. “Everything is fun, we make the playoffs, and we’re just excited to be here every day.”
The Dragons are relying more on stolen bases than they did while winning the first-half East Division title. They don’t have as much home run power as they did with Alfredo Duno, Carter Graham and Kien Vu. Morillo said the plan for this series is to take advantage of the Kernels’ inability to control the running game.
Acosta, Tyson Lewis, Peyton Stovall and Marcus Smith each stole two bases. The eight stolen bases tied the club record achieved two other times.
The Kernels’ trouble began in the first inning when Ryan McCrystal reached on an infield error with one out. Then, Julio Carerras was hit by a pitch, and Lewis reached on another error to load the bases. With two outs, Jacob Friend was hit by a pitch for a 1-0 lead.
The Dragons made the score 4-2 in the fifth. Lewis reached base when the first baseman dropped a throw. He stole second and moved to third on a balk. When Mason Neville struck out for the second out, Lewis scored on a strike-three wild pitch.
The errors, the baserunning, all of it, were needed. The Dragons were 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base. Other than Acosta’s two big hits, only Smith had a two-out single in the seventh.
The Dragons committed no errors — neither did Roof Man with a late-game appearance — and three pitchers held the Kernels to four hits. They manufactured two runs against starter Luke Hayden and homered against Trent Hodgdon in the eighth.
Hayden made his fourth start since being on the injured list with a hamstring strain from late April to July 4. He’s an important part of the rotation the Dragons will need to pitch well in the playoffs.
Hayden pitched 4 2/3 innings, equaling his longest start this month, and allowed two runs on three hits and two walks. He struck out six, including three in order in the fourth.
“I feel back to normal,” Hayden said. “I feel like my leg is healthy. Just continuing to go out there and pitch more and work through a couple things and get a little stamina back. That’s one area where I could improve on. But other than that, I feel good.”
The two at-bats he wants back are a walk and a hit batter to No. 9 hitter Andy Lugo. He scored the first time and moved a runner ahead who scored the second time. When his pitch count hit 82 in the fifth, Morillo pulled him.
“I would like him to win more counts, but that takes time,” Morillo said. “His stuff is really good, but we just need to get him to win the counts so he can go deeper in the games.”
Hayden was backed by Victor Diaz (2-0) who allowed nothing in 2 innings and struck out five, including the side in order in the seventh. Hodgdon pitched the final two innings, struck out four and earned his sixth save.
“Victor and Trent, they’re dudes and their stuff speaks for themselves,” Hayden said. “That’s the whole motto is just attack guys relentlessly and get hitters on their heels. And I think that’s exactly what we did tonight.”
Plus, control the running game, play error free and watch Acosta run around the bases.
Dayton Dragons return to TV this weekend — here’s how to watch
- Travis Erickson — Staff Writer
Dayton Dragons: McCrystal stars in second straight walk-off win
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
Dayton Dragons: Friend sacrifice fly caps comeback victory in 10th
- Jeff Gilbert — Contributing Writer
For almost five hours, the clock — metaphorically — threatened to strike midnight on the Dayton Dragons many times.
They trailed 6-0, 7-3 and 13-10.
But, at 11:59 p.m., the Dragons escaped midnight and defeat by putting the ball in play. Jacob Friend lofted a fly ball to deep left field, sending Julio Carreras home for the tie-breaking run and a 14-13 victory over Cedar Rapids with few left to witness it at Day Air Ballpark.
“It’s always fun to be the guy,” said Friend who was mobbed by teammates behind first base. “The goal there is just to pass it to the next guy. So that’s what we were trying to do. I just got in the air enough.”
Ninety-nine percent of the fans who were in the stadium for the first pitch cleared out after a one hour and 29-minute rain delay in the middle of the seventh inning. To be fair to those who left, the Dragons trailed 12-10. They had seen their money’s worth for seven innings, but they sure missed a lot in the final three and a half innings.
The Dragons (49-40, 10-13 second half) faced a 13-10 deficit in the ninth. But Cedar Rapids reliever Nick Trabacchi did them a favor by walking Friend and Mason Neville to start the inning. After a pitching change and a strikeout, more good fortune came when Victor Acosta loaded the bases on a catcher’s interference call.
Bases loaded, not a ball put in play, and the top of the order was next.
They rewarded the few handfuls of fans left. Peyton Stovall got his first hit with a two-run single to right, sending Acosta to third. Ryan McCrystal followed with a line drive to left for a sacrifice fly to score Acosta with the tying run.
The Kernels (37-52, 6-19) moved their free runner to third in the 10th on an infield single off the leg of pitcher Brady Afthim. The Kernels got tricky, but the Dragons were ready.
When Afthim struck out Graham Brown, Henry Kusiak did the steal-and-stop play to create a rundown in hopes the runner on third would score. Pinch runner Andy Lugo broke for home, but the Dragons let Kusiak go and retired Lugo in a 2-4-5-2-6 rundown to end the inning with the score tied.
“We kind of knew they we’re going do the steal-stop there,” Morillo said. “They like to do that a lot so we were ready. Even before the game we talked about it. And we executed it well, which is great.”
The Dragons’ 10th began with a strikeout. But Carerras stayed alert at second base, made some green-light eye contact with manager and third-base coach Julio Morillo, and stole third for one of the game’s biggest plays.
“Huge stolen base by Julio in that situation,” Morillo said. “He read it well. It was given to him. Why not? Maybe you don’t do it with nobody out, but why not? You take a shot.”
Tyson Lewis, who had three hits and an RBI, worked a great at-bat, fouling off five pitches before earning a 10-pitch walk. Then Friend ended it.
The Dragons also won because of the relief work of Afthim. In his first two appearances since joining the team he allowed three runs each time. This time he struck out three batters in the eighth on nine pitches for the rare immaculate inning.
“It was a lot of fun to watch,” Friend said of his view from left field. “Me and the bullpen were screaming at each other running in after that. That might be the first time I’ve ever seen it happen in game. I loved it.”
Afthim (2-0) allowed a run in the ninth, but he pitched three innings that finally held the Kernels in check.
After two innings, the game vibed like one that would require double-digit runs to win. Balls were being hit hard, others were finding holes and you just knew it would be a long night.
The Kernels brought the power early when Yasser Mercedes led off the game with a home run to deep left. Dragons starter David Lorduy couldn’t keep the ball in the park in the second.
With two outs, Dameury Pena tripled and kept running to score on an error when Friend struggled to pick up the ball. Still, it was 2-0 with two outs. But a walk, homer by Graham Brown, walk, homer by 19-year-old Eduardo Tait (the Twins’ No. 3 prospect) and the Kernels led 6-0.
The Dragons scored three in the second on four singles with the help of a balk and catcher’s interference. Alfredo Alcantara got the first run home on a groundout. Acosta and McCrystal singled in the next two and it was 6-3.
Danny DeAndrade homered in the third for a 7-3 Kernels lead. Neville led off the fourth for the Dragons with his fifth home run, another run scored on Stovall’s groundout and the score was 7-5. Friend hit a two-run double in the fifth to tie the score.
Lorduy lasted into the sixth and left with one on and one out. But the Kernels answered with Brown’s two-run single in the sixth to lead 9-7. The single ricocheted off pitcher Graham Osman into shallow right field. If he had caught it or it had gotten through to an infielder, the inning would have ended with the score tied.
No worries. McCrystal and Lewis hit RBI singles to key a three-run sixth for a 10-9 lead.
And no worries for the Kernels. They got a run on a throwing error by third baseman Lewis and two more on a single by Miguel Briceno.
Then the rain was near. By the time the tarp was in place over the infield, the heavy rain began to fall and fans flooded the exits.
Eighty-nine minutes later the real fun began.
Afthim pitched the final two innings, allowing a hit and walk in the ninth before ending it. He did his job even if it wasn’t as spectacular as his immaculate inning of three strikeouts on nine pitches in Tuesday’s 14-13 victory in 10 innings.
“It was a surprise to me, but it was very nice,” he said. “I knew coming out of the rain delay that it was going to be pretty important to just get out there and get in the zone. My whole approach was I’m just going to try to fill it up and make them swing. It’s hard to hit in general, but it’s hard to hit when you’ve been playing for three hours and you get an hour-long rain delay, then you got to come back out.”
Afthim didn’t realize the immaculate inning was possible until he had two strikes on the third batter.
“I was like, ‘I gotta throw a strike here,'” he said. “‘I’m either giving up a home run here or I’m going for the strikeout.'”
Afthim threw an immaculate inning in high school, but this one meant far more to him.
“I played high school baseball in Maine, and we were playing a not very good team,” he said. “So there’s a little asterisk there. This is a higher quality hitter up here.”
The run support came as needed. Julio Carreras doubled home Peyton Stovall from first in the first inning and later scored on John Michael Faile’s single for a 2-1 lead.
Lewis homered for the second straight night, a couple feet above the 402 sign in center and a few feet left of the pitch clock, to lead off the fourth. Later in the inning Jacob Friend stole home on the back end of a double steal for a 4-1 lead.
Lewis doubled in a run in the fifth, and Friend hit a three-run homer in the seventh, his second of the series and 10th since joining the team June 2.
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