Lugnuts' McBroom unstoppable at plate

It took 13 innings and a three-run rally for Class A Dayton to beat Lansing on Sunday. Why? In six tries, the Dragons couldn't get Ryan McBroom out.

The Blue Jays prospect went 6-for-6 with a homer, two doubles, four RBIs and three runs scored, tying the Midwest League record for hits in a game, as the Lugnuts drop a 10-9 decision at Fifth Third Field.

"I kind of went up with an attacking mindset," McBroom said. "I just wanted to get a fastball I could hit and put a good swing on it. That was pretty much my goal for the day, and I was lucky enough to have all six get through. The one homer was just on a fastball in. ... I waited for a good pitch I could put a good swing on, like I said, and just get it out of the infield.

"I kind of took the same approach into all six at-bats. I wanted to drive the ball and I kind of had that drive mentality today. I wanted to hit it somewhere in the gap and I put good swings on it six times, so it felt awesome."

The 23-year-old first baseman cracked a single and double in his first two at-bats before leading off the fifth inning with his fifth homer of the season, leaving him a triple shy of the cycle.

"It did run through the back of my head a little bit," McBroom said, "but at the same time, we were in a close ballgame. I wanted to win that, of course, and we went into extras, too. It did cross my mind, but at the same time, I just really wanted to help the team win."

The West Virginia University product got a shot at the cycle in the top of the 13^th when he stepped to the plate with two outs, the bases loaded and the score knotted, 7-7. On Saturday night, McBroom flied to shallow right in a similar situation, providing a small measure of extra motivation to come through this time.

"It [motivated] me a bit," McBroom said. "But that's the game. You're going to fail, you're going to succeed. You just got to roll with the punches sometimes and I was lucky enough today I got that pitch I could handle and put a good swing on it. It motivated me a little bit though."

The 2014 15th-round pick sprayed a single through the left side to put the Lugnuts in front.

"He got me to two strikes and I had a battling approach in that at-bat once I was down, 0-2," McBroom said of Dragons reliever Jacob Moody. "He threw me a changeup low and I just kind of used my barrel and punched it through the six-hole to score those two runs. Like I said, it was kind of my approach; I just wanted to hit the ball hard."

The excitement proved short-lived for McBroom and the Lugnuts, however.

The Dragons answered in the bottom of the 13th and came away with a walk-off win on Argenis Aldazoro's one-out single off Phil Kish. Despite the tough loss, McBroom said he can look back on this game as a high point in his two-year pro career.

"It's one of those game where ... I can look back and see that I got six hits in that game and I was feeling pretty good at the same time," the 6-foot-3, 230-pound slugger said. "One day, even though we lost, I can look back and be pretty proud of myself and my individual performance. I don't normally do that, but six hits is still pretty cool."

Blue Jays No. 17 prospect D.J. Davis contributed two hits and two RBIs for the Lugnuts.

Dayton designated hitter Paul Kronenfield tied the game in the 13^th with a two-run triple and came across with the winning run on Aldazoro's hit. Kronenfield finished with two hits, two walks and three RBIs, while Aldazoro was 3-for-7 with three RBIs.