Dragons Win 7-0; Playoff Hopes Still Alive as Final Homestand is Set to Start Tuesday
Dragons 7, Great Lakes 0 Click here for the box score Dayton (R-H-E): 7-12-2; Great Lakes (R-H-E): 0-2-2 Win: Carson Rudd (5-7); Loss: Hyun-il Choi (4-4); Save: None HR: Dayton: Justice Thompson (9th, 0 on base in eighth inning). HR: Great Lakes: None Midland, Mich.—Dayton pitchers Carson Rudd, Jacob Heatherly,
Dragons 7, Great Lakes 0
Click here for the box score
Dayton (R-H-E): 7-12-2; Great Lakes (R-H-E): 0-2-2
Win: Carson Rudd (5-7); Loss: Hyun-il Choi (4-4); Save: None
HR: Dayton: Justice Thompson (9th, 0 on base in eighth inning). HR: Great Lakes: None
Midland, Mich.—Dayton pitchers Carson Rudd, Jacob Heatherly, and Jayvien Sandridge combined on a two-hit shutout while Justice Thompson had two hits including a home run as the Dragons defeated the Great Lakes Loons 7-0 on Sunday afternoon. Dayton won four-of-six in the series.
The Dragons win coupled with a loss by West Michigan left Dayton two and one-half games out of first place in the Midwest League East Division standings. There are six games to play in the second half season.
Rudd (5-7) was outstanding on the mound in a starting role. He worked five innings, allowing just three base runners on two hits and a walk, striking out five to earn the win. Heatherly tossed two scoreless innings, and Sandridge had a dominant final two innings, retiring all six men he faced including five on strikeouts.
The Dragons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning. After Allan Cerda was hit by a pitch and Austin Hendrick walked, Justice Thompson lined a single to left field to drive in Cerda, and Hendrick eventually scored on a sacrifice fly from Hector Rodriguez.
In the third, the Dragons tacked on two more runs. The inning began with back-to-back singles by Edwin Arroyo and Sal Stewart, and with one out, Cerda lined a single to left to drive in Arroyo. Stewart eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Hendrick to make it 4-0.
The Dragons had their third two-run inning in the seventh, taking advantage of two errors in the inning and a double steal by Arroyo and Stewart. One run scored on an error, and the other came on a sacrifice fly by Cerda. The Dragons scored again in the eighth on a solo home run by Thompson, his ninth of the season, to close out the scoring.
The Dragons finished with 12 hits. Thompson, Arroyo, Rodriguez, and Carlos Jorge each had two hits.
Notes: The Dragons tied a club record with three sacrifice flies in the game…The Dragons hit 11 home runs in the six-game series at Great Lakes, their highest homer total in any series this season.
Up Next: The Dragons (31-29, 64-62) do not play on Monday. They 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. Chris McElvain (1-2, 4.99) is scheduled to start for Dayton. 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.