Home Runs by Rodriguez and Contreras Lift Dragons to Fourth Straight Win

Dragons 4, Fort Wayne 3

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Dayton (R-H-E): 4-6-1; Fort Wayne (R-H-E): 3-5-3

Win: Brock Bell (3-3); Loss: Tyler Morgan (4-3); Save: None

HR: Dayton: Cam Collier (13^th, 0 on base in second inning); Yan Contreras (1^st, 1 on base in eighth inning); Hector Rodriguez (7^th, 0 on base in ninth inning). HR: Fort Wayne: None

Fort Wayne, Ind.—Dayton’s Hector Rodriguez blasted a ninth inning tie-breaking home run to lift the Dragons to a 4-3 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Friday night. The Dragons win was their fourth straight, their longest winning streak of the 2024 season.

The Dragons had trailed 2-1 in the eighth inning when Yan Contreras drilled his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that gave the Dragons a brief 3-2 lead.

Game Summary:

Fort Wayne scored one run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead before Dayton’s Cam Collier connected on an opposite field home run in the second to tie the game. Collier’s homer was his 13^th of the year, tying him for second most in the Midwest League.

Fort Wayne took advantage of a Dragons error in the fifth to score an unearned run and go ahead 2-1. Meanwhile, the TinCaps starting pitcher, Henry Baez, kept the Dragons hitters quiet as he lasted seven innings and allowed just two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.

The Dragons trailed 2-1 when they came to bat in the top of the eighth. Logan Tanner hit a ball off the left field fence for a one out double, and Yan Contreras followed with a home run to left field to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead. The homer was the biggest hit of the year for Contreras. It was his first long ball of the season and only his fourth extra base hit of the year.

Fort Wayne tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out double by Romeo Sanabria to make it 3-3. But Hector Rodriguez opened the Dragons ninth inning with a home run to right field, his seventh home run of the season, to give Dayton a 4-3 lead.

Brock Bell pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to close out the Dayton win. Bell earned the victory, going three innings while allowing one run on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Starter Jose Franco worked the first three innings, allowing one run on two hits. Joseph Menefee pitched the middle three, allowing one unearned run on one hit with no walks and five strikeouts.

Rodriguez and Collier each had two hits including a home run for the Dragons, who collected six hits as a team.

Up Next: The Dragons play at Fort Wayne again on Saturday night at 6:35 pm in the fifth game of a six-game series. T.J. Sikkema (1-2, 5.01) will start for Dayton against Fort Wayne’s Dylan Lesko (1-5, 6.12). The series will conclude on Sunday at 1:05 pm.

The next Dragons home game is Monday, July 1 at 7:05 pm against the Lake County Captains at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

Scheduling Note: Please note the special scheduling on the next homestand at Day Air Ballpark beginning Monday, July 1:

1. There will be a game on Monday, which is normally an off-day (July 1). The series includes games Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday (July 1-3).
2. The Wednesday, July 3 game (final game of the homestand) will start at the special start time of 5:35 p.m. The other games start at 7:05 pm.

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.