Dragons Pitching Downs Loons 5-2 

DAYTON, Ohio. – Great Lakes Loons (21-16) hitters were stifled by three Dayton Dragons (17-20) pitchers in a 5-2 Dayton win on a cloudy 73-degree Friday night at a full-capacity Day Air Ballpark.

Javi Rivera, for the Dragons, delivered a season-high five innings and eight strikeouts. The Loons had five baserunners reach against Rivera, two in the fifth. Nick Biddison was hit by a pitch, and Jake Vogel earned a walk. The top two in the Loons lineup were retired, which stranded two. They went a combined 0-8 with a walk in the contest.

The Loons' two runs came off Myles Gayman in the sixth. Kyle Nevin and Chris Newell singled. With two in scoring position, Jake Gelof lifted one 365 feet to centerfield for an RBI sacrifice fly. Gelof’s seventh run batted in, in his tenth game with Great Lakes. With two outs, Yunior Garcia punched a ball to centerfield to plate Newell. Garcia was the lone Loon with multiple hits.

In the final three innings, the Loons had two reach. Kyle Nevin walked in the eighth, and Jake Vogel singled in the ninth. Brock Bell got the ninth for Dayton, earning his third save of the season and second of the week.

Great Lakes starter Jackson Ferris struck out five in four innings pitched. The Dragons plated four runs off the left-hander. A walk and single started the bottom of the second. Victor Acosta doubled up the left-field line scoring both. In the bottom of the fourth, Dayton had three straight hits. The third was a Jay Allen II line drive single to left. It brought the score to 4-0.

The Loons' bullpen was strong following that. The only blemish was Cam Collier leading off the sixth inning with a homer facing Chris Campos. The right-hander struck out four, facing the minimum following the blast.

Kelvin Ramirez struck out the side in the eighth. The right-hander now has a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings in 2024.

Rounding Things Out

Noah Miller extended his on-base streak to 13 games. He walked in the third inning. The streak started on May 3rd.

Up Next

The Loons are 3-0 in road series this season. They cannot win the set, but two wins this weekend will give them a split. The next game is tomorrow Saturday, May 18th, first pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and Sports Radio 100.9 The Mitt. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.