Dragons Fall at Great Lakes as Loons Even Series

Great Lakes 6, Dragons 1

Click here for the box score

Great Lakes (R-H-E): 6-9-0; Dayton (R-H-E): 1-7-0

Win: Jerming Rosario (7-5); Loss: John Murphy (4-3); Save: Ronan Kopp (1)

HR: Dayton: Edwin Arroyo (13^th, 0 on base in sixth inning). HR: Great Lakes: Griffin Lockwood-Powell (13^th, 1 on base in fifth inning).

Midland, Mich.—Four Great Lakes pitchers scattered seven hits and Griffin Lockwood-Powell hit a two-run home run as the Loons defeated the Dayton Dragons 6-1 on Friday night. The teams have split the first four games of the six-game series.

The Dragons fell to four and one-half games out of first place in the Midwest League East Division standings, trailing the division-leading West Michigan Whitecaps. There are eight games to play in the second half season.

The game was scoreless until the Loons scored twice in the fourth inning against Dayton reliever John Murphy (4-3). Lockwood-Powell’s home run in the fifth gave Great Lakes a 4-0 lead.

Dayton’s Edwin Arroyo led off the sixth inning with a home run to make it 4-1. The homer was the 13^th of the season for the Dayton shortstop and highest-rated prospect. But the Dragons could not score again and Great Lakes added two more runs in the eighth inning to build their lead to 6-1.

The Dragons have shown excellent home run power in the series in Midland, but they have struggled to score in any other manner. They have hit eight home runs in the first four games of the set, but have scored a total of 10 runs. Six of the homers have been solo shots, and two have come with a runner on base. The Dragons have not produced a run in the series that did not come as a direct result of a home run.

Dayton finished the night with seven hits. Arroyo, Austin Hendrick, and Hector Rodriguez each had two.

Notes: Dayton starting pitcher Hunter Parks left the game with two outs in the third inning when he appeared to suffer an ankle sprain while fielding a ground ball and throwing out a runner at second base…The Dragons did not commit an error in the game and are on pace to break the club record for best team fielding percentage in a season. The record was set in 2022.

Up Next: The Dragons (29-29, 62-62) play at Great Lakes (28-30, 73-50) in the fifth game of the six-game series on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Ryan Cardona, just called up from Daytona, will make his first start for the Dragons.

The Dragons will open their final homestand of the regular season on Tuesday, September 5 at 7:05 p.m. against the Fort Wayne TinCaps at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. The six-game home series with Fort Wayne will continue through Sunday, September 10. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

On the Air: All Dragons home and road games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. Games can be heard on smart phones, iPads, and other mobile devices via the free Dragons Mobile App, or on a computer at wone.com. Games are also available on HD Radio on 104.7 WTUI HD 2.