Graham’s 3-Run Double Takes Dragons to 8-6 Win on Sunday

July 28, 2024 – Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons Press Release

Dayton, Ohio – Carter Graham’s three-run double with two outs in the eighth inning gave the Dayton Dragons an 8-6 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Dragons swept the series and took four of six with Fort Wayne.

There were 7,860 people in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

The Dragons built a 5-0 lead, came from 6-5 down and fought back to win.

The win allowed the Dragons to hold a two-and-a-half-game lead over second-place West Michigan in the East Division playoff race with 36 games remaining. Lansing is four games back of first.

Game Summary:

The Dragons took a 5-0 lead in the first three innings, scoring one run in the first, two in the second and two more in the third.

In the first, the Dragons attempted a double steal with Jay Allen II on third and Hector Rodriguez on first-and-one. Allen raced home as Fort Wayne closed in on Rodriguez between first and second to start the scoring.

In the second, Ethan O’Donnell singled to lead off the inning and Logan Tanner walked. With two outs, Carlos Jorge doubled over the center fielder’s head to drive in both runners and make it 3-0.

In the third inning, Rodriguez singled and Leo Balcazar hit a two-run home run to left field, his first home run of the year, to give the Dragons a 5-0 lead.

Watch Balcazar’s homerun here: https://twitter.com/DragonsBaseball/status/1817621931878694949

Dragons starting pitcher Gabriel Aguilera was exceptional, allowing just two baserunners in five shutout innings. Aguilera retired the first 10 batters of the game without allowing a ball to leave the infield and didn’t allow a hit until a two-out single in the fourth.

But Fort Wayne fought back against the Dayton bullpen. They scored two runs in the sixth and another in the seventh off Dragons reliever Easton Sikorski to make it 5-3. In the top of the eighth, Fort Wayne’s Kai Murphy hit a three-run double off Dragons reliever Simon Miller to give the Tin Caps a 6-5 lead.

In the eighth inning, Dayton’s Cam Collier singled to right field to start the rally, and Balcazar’s single moved Collier to second. Ethan O’Donnell hit a bunt single to load the bases with no outs. The next two Dayton hitters were retired without scoring a run, but Carter Graham hit a hard grounder down the left-field line to drive in all three runners and give the Dragons an 8-6 lead. Miller pitched a perfect top of the ninth inning for the Dragons to secure the victory.

Graham, who had the big hit, was waiting for an opportunity to make it happen.

“I had that same opportunity Thursday against the same pitcher,” Graham said. “He was the best of me then. I’ve been dreaming about that opportunity again the last couple days. I didn’t want to pass up that opportunity. I wanted to put that ball in play. Have a chance to score a couple runs, give us a game to win.”

The Dragons finished with 10 hits. Balcazar, O’Donnell and Rodriguez each had two. The Dayton victory came after Fort Wayne had defeated the Dragons in the previous two games.

“The last two days obviously didn’t go our way,” Graham said. “We fought as a team and had some really good games. Sometimes a few games just slip by you, so when you can bounce back and win a tough game like today, it means a lot. It puts us in a good position for next week.”

Up Next: The Dragons (18-12, 52-44) don’t play Monday. They travel to Lansing, Mich. to open a six-game series with the Lansing Lugnuts on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. TJ Sikkema (3-2, 3.32) starts for the Dragons against Lansing’s vs. Luis Morales (1-1, 3.73).

The next home game at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District is Tuesday, August 6, when the Dragons host the Lake County Captains. For ticket information, visit daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

On the Air: All Dragons home and away games are broadcast on radio on FOX Sports 980 AM WONE. Games can be listened to on smartphones, 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.

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