Seventh-Inning Explosion Puts Dayton Out of Reach in Series Opener

On Sunday at Dow Diamond, the Great Lakes Loons scored eight runs and won easily – 8-0 over the Fort Wayne TinCaps.

On Tuesday at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton, Ohio, the Loons put up another eight runs, but things didn’t exactly go their way in the series opener against the Dayton Dragons.

In a game that was tied 1-1 going into the fifth inning, both offenses exploded late in the game, and it was Dayton that came out victorious, 14-8.

The Dragons (36-15) took the lead in the first frame, thanks to a two-out solo shot from Elly De La Cruz, his 11th homer of the season. That was the only earned run allowed by Loons righty Kendall Williams (L, 1-3), who had a solid performance through 4 2-3 innings. He allowed four hits, did not walk a batter, and struck out seven, but three unearned runs scored against him in the fifth inning to tack him with the loss.

Great Lakes (28-24) evened the score in the third, when Ryan January led off the frame with his fourth longball of the year. It was just the second home run and the fourth earned run allowed by Dayton starter Joe Boyle (W, 3-0), who has now tossed 29 2-3 innings this season. Boyle went five full innings, walking four batters but allowing no hits or runs apart from the January blast. The right-hander struck out nine Loons.

Dayton, the High-A partner of the Cincinnati Reds, took the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth. Mat Nelson led off the frame with a single, and after two outs were recorded, Jose Torres singled and Alex McGarry reached on a walk. Williams was pulled from the game at that point, and Braydon Fisher allowed a bases-clearing, two-out triple to De La Cruz that put the home side ahead 4-1.

The Loons, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, got one back in the sixth inning. Two walks and a Jonny Deluca single loaded the bases with one out for Imanol Vargas, who notched his 15th RBI of the year with a sacrifice fly. The Loons at that point were within two, 4-2.

The close game wouldn’t last long. Dayton got the run back in the sixth – Austin Hendrick doubled, then scored on a pair of wild pitches – before plating seven in the seventh inning. The frame after the stretch was the stuff of nightmare for the Loons: seven runs (five earned) on five hits, three errors and two walks. The Dragons sent 11 batters to the plate, and two of them homered: Hendrick hit his second of the year, a two-run blast, and Garrett Wolforth left the yard for the fifth time this season, driving in three. That put the game firmly out of reach, with Dayton ahead 12-2.

The Loons offense wasn’t ready to give up quite yet, as they would score three runs in each of the final two frames. Great Lakes sent eight batters to the plate in the eighth inning, scoring three on five singles. January’s knock in the frame came with the bases loaded, plating a pair, and he finished with a joint-team-high 3 RBIs. In the ninth, the Loons got their three runs on as many hits, plus a walk. Alex De Jesus had the biggest hit of the frame, driving in two with a double.

Dayton kept scoring, too, pushing across a pair of runs in the eighth frame on two hits, as they would win by a 14-8 final score.

There were certainly highlights offensively for Great Lakes. DeLuca had his second three-hit game of the season ad reached four times. De Jesus also reached four times with a pair of hits, driving in three runs in the game. Jose Ramos reached thrice and scored twice, and January drove in runs each time he put the ball in play to end up with his trio of RBIs.

There really were no highlights on the other side of the ball, though. The Loons committed five errors on defense, tied for the second-most in a single game this season. And on the mound, the bullpen combined for 3 1-3 innings, allowed 10 runs (eight earned) on nine hits and walked seven Dragons in that time.

The Dragons take a 1-0 lead in the series, a six-game set that continues Wednesday from Dayton, Ohio. These two teams meet a total of 12 times this season, with the second series beginning later in June at Dow Diamond. With just 14 games left in the first half, Dayton now has an 8 ½ game lead over the second-place Loons. Wednesday’s contest will see Loons right-hander Ben Casparius (0-0, 6.00 ERA) opposing Dayton southpaw Evan Kravetz (3-0, 4.74 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m., with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, kicking off pregame coverage at 6:50 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a 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.