Dragons Survive Besting Loons in 12-Inning Epic

Midland, Mich. – The Great Lakes Loons (73-51) (28-31) and Dayton Dragons (63-62) (30-29) played their longest game this season with the Dragons winning 7-6 in 12 innings on a 75-degree cloudy Saturday night at Dow Diamond.

The score was tied at four from the bottom of the fourth until the top of the ninth. Dayton’s Cade Hunter drove in Hector Rodriguez with an RBI single. Rodriguez advanced after being hit by a pitch and moved into scoring position following a passed ball. After a walk, Benony Robles got a punchout to strand the bases loaded.

The Loons knotted up the game in their last chance in regulation. Taylor Young walked on five pitches and stole second base. Yeiner Fernandez drove Young in with his third hit of the game, an RBI single tying the game at five.

The tenth and eleventh saw no runs from either side. Jack Dreyer retired Dayton’s 6-7-8, 1-2-3 in the top of the tenth. In the bottom of the tenth, pinch-runner Jake Vogel was the man to start at second and stole third base. Two intentional walks loaded the bases, but a fielder’s choice closed the inning.

In the top of the eleventh, Allan Cerda cracked a leadoff double that put two in scoring position. Dreyer struck out two, ending the inning with a four-pitch strikeout of Ruben Ibarra.

Damon Keith entered as the pinch-runner in the bottom of the eleventh, moving to third after a flyout to center. An intentional walk and seven-pitch walk of Vogel followed, but Braxton Roxby completed a second scoreless inning, positioning the game to the twelfth.

Lucas Wepf took over for the Loons and struck out the first batter he faced, with Jack Rogers caught attempting to steal third as the second out. Dragons designated hitter Justice Thompson reached via a base on balls after seeing eight pitches from Wepf. Carlos Jorge laced the first pitch he saw just over the right field fence to break the stalemate and make it 7-5 Dayton.

Great Lakes fell one run short. Kenneth Betancourt struck a leadoff single and reached second after an RBI groundout from Chris Alleyne. Two strikeouts by Brooks Crawford ended the game.

Dayton and Great Lakes both scored four runs through the first four innings. Dayton’s Cade Hunter had a first-inning home run and the Dragons plastered three, two earned on Maddux Bruns in the fourth. A Max Hewitt RBI double, Kenneth Betancourt's two-run double, and a Yunior Garcia RBI single plated the first four for the Loons.

The series now stands with Dayton up three games to two and the season slate at twelve games to eleven Dragons. Great Lakes can split with a win tomorrow Sunday, September 3rd. The first pitch is at 1:05 p.m. Sunday is a Kids Eat Free & Run The Bases presented by EGLE and the final regular season game of 2023 at Dow Diamond.

The Loons still await to see their playoff opponent, but game two of the Midwest League East Division Series will be on Thursday, September 14th. The first pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

The Great Lakes Loons have been the Single-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 ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.