Dragons Score 4 in 9th, Earn Thrilling Comeback Win in Walk-Off Style

Dragons 4, Great Lakes 3

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Dayton (R-H-E): 4-6-0; Great Lakes (R-H-E): 3-4-1

Win: Arij Fransen (1-1); Loss: Lucas Wepf (1-2); Save: None

HR: Dayton: None; HR: Great Lakes: Nelson Quiroz (1^st, 0 on base in second inning); Jake Gelof (4^th, 0 on base in seventh inning).

Dayton, Ohio—Leo Balcazar raced in from third base on a wild pitch with the winning run as the Dayton Dragons scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to defeat the Great Lakes Loons 4-3 on Friday night. The Dragons scored the tying and winning runs with two outs as the fans went wild in celebration of the dramatic comeback victory, the Dragons second “walk-off” win of the season.

A crowd of 8,499 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

Game Summary:

Great Lakes scored single runs in the first, second, and seventh innings to take a 3-0 lead to the bottom of the ninth inning. The Loons got solo home runs from Nelson Quiroz and Jake Gelof to build their lead.

The Dragons had only three hits over the first eight innings and had not advanced a runner past second base as they came to bat in the ninth, but they produced their most thrilling comeback of the year. The rally started when Hector Rodriguez opened the inning with a single to center field. He advanced to second on a balk, and went to third on Jay Allen II’s single to left as the tying run came to the plate. A wild pitch brought in Rodriguez, the first of four wild pitches thrown by Great Lakes in the inning. Cam Collier followed with a single to drive in Allen from second base to make it 3-2. Ethan O’Donnell enter replaced Collier at first base as a pinch runner.

Sal Stewart flied out to deep center field for the first out of the inning, and with Carlos Jorge at the plate, O’Donnell stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. Jorge walked to put the potential winning run on base. Leo Balcazar then grounded back to the pitcher, and O’Donnell was caught in a run-down between third and home, but he stayed alive long enough to allow Jorge to race around to third and Balcazar to get to second with two outs, changing the complexion of the inning. Cade Hunter then was walked intentionally to load the bases.

With Logan Tanner at the plate, the Loons star closer, Lucas Wepf, overthrew a fastball at 99 mph, with the pitch going to the backstop to allow Jorge to score the tying run as Balcazar went to third. Wepf then threw a slider in the dirt that bounced slightly to the right of the Loons catcher as Balcazar raced for the plate. The catcher got to the ball quickly and flipped it to Wepf covering home, but Balcazar touched the plate just before Wepf tagged him to give the Dragons the winning run as Day Air Ballpark erupted with cheering fans.

"I was ready to score," said Balcazar, who read the play perfectly and got an instantaneous break off third base. "We are family. Every game, we connect. We try to be a unit. That's when we win."

Dragons reliever Arij Fransen pitched two scoreless innings to earn the win. The Dragons finished with six hits, including two by Allen. Rodriguez’s hit in the ninth extended his hitting streak to seven straight games.

Up Next: The Dragons (30-31) host Great Lakes (33-28) in the fifth game of the six-game series at Day Air Ballpark on Saturday at 7:05 pm. Ryan Cardona (3-3, 4.36) will start for Dayton against Jacob Meador (0-2, 6.39). For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

On the Air: Dragons games Saturday and Sunday will be televised in the Miami Valley on Dayton’s CW (Channel 26; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). 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.