Dragons Top West Michigan on Sunday, Need One More Win to Reach Playoffs

Dragons 7, West Michigan 2

Sept. 1, 2024

Click here for the box score

Dayton (R-H-E): 7-12-2; West Michigan (R-H-E): 2-6-0

Win: Gabriel Aguilera (4-4); Loss: Carlos Marcano (3-11); Save: None

HR: Dayton: None HR: West Michigan: Max Anderson (11^th, 0 on base in eighth inning).

Dayton, Ohio—Dayton starting pitcher Gabriel Aguilera allowed one unearned run in five and two-thirds innings and Ethan O’Donnell reached base four times while driving in two runs as the Dragons defeated the West Michigan Whitecaps 7-2 on Sunday afternoon.

With the win, the Dragons cut their “magic number” to clinch a playoff berth to two with six games remaining. They need one win in their remaining six games (all on the road at Great Lakes) to clinch a playoff berth and Second Half East Division title.

"We're going to go for all six, but we're just going to stay with what we're doing, said O’Donnell. “I think on a lot of facets, it's going well. We'll just try not to do too much and play our style of baseball."

The game marked the final home game of the regular season for the Dragons. A crowd of 8,706 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

The win increased the Dragons lead in the playoff race to five and one-half games over both West Michigan and Great Lakes.

Game Summary:

The Dragons took an early lead with four runs in the second inning. John Michael Faile walked to start the inning and went to second on a single by Cade Hunter. After a sacrifice by Johnny Ascanio moved the runners to second and third, Connor Burns delivered a ground ball double down the left field line to drive in Faile and Hunter to make it 2-0. Hector Rodriguez followed with a triple to the fence in right-center to drive in Burns, and Rodriguez scored on a balk to make it 4-0.

The Dragons added two more runs in the fourth inning. Rodriguez blooped a single to center field with one out, stole second, and scored on Ethan O’Donnell’s two-out single. O’Donnell scored from second on a double to left field by Leo Balcazar to make it 6-0.

West Michigan took advantage of a Dayton error to produce an unearned run in the top of the sixth inning. The Loons added a run in the eighth on a solo homer by Max Anderson to make it 6-2.

Dayton responded with a run in the bottom of the eighth, getting hits from Burns and Jay Allen II before O’Donnell delivered a two-out RBI single to make it 7-2 and close out the scoring.

Dragons starting pitcher Gabriel Aguilera (4-4) enjoyed his fourth straight strong outing and earned the win. He worked five and two-thirds innings, allowing just one unearned run on three hits with three walks and six strikeouts. The game marked Aguilera’s longest start of the season.

Dragons center fielder Jay Allen II made one of the best defensive plays of the year to help the team out of a jam in the sixth inning. View the play here: https://x.com/DragonsBaseball/status/1830317035701538900

Up Next: The Dragons (38-22, 72-54) travel to Midland, Michigan to open a six-game series with the Great Lakes Loons (31-26, 65-58) on Monday afternoon at 4:05 pm. Ryan Cardona (8-5, 3.45) will start for Dayton.

If the Dragons qualify for the Midwest League playoffs, they will host game one of the first round on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:05 pm against the Lake County Captains. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287 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.