MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Chiefs Use Big 4th Inning to Top Dragons, 7-4

Published on May 11, 2018 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - Peoria's Taylor Bryant hit a three-run home run as part of a four-run fourth inning as the Chiefs erased a three-run deficit and defeated the Dayton Dragons 7-4 on Friday night. A crowd of 8,054 was in attendance at Fifth Third Field as the Chiefs won their second straight game in the three-game series that will conclude on Saturday night.

The Dragons jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning. Jeter Downs walked to open the inning and advanced from first to third on a hit-and-run single by Miles Gordon. After Gordon stole second, Michael Beltre lined a single to right to drive in both runners and give the Dragons a two-run lead.

In the third, the Dragons added another run. Gordon singled to right field to with one out and Beltre followed with a hit-and-run single to center field. Gordon came all the way around to score on the play when Peoria center fielder Jonatan Machado bobbled Beltre's base hit to make it 3-0.

But Peoria responded with a four-run fourth inning. The Chiefs got a pair of singles with two outs before Bryce Denton hit a bouncing ball along the third base line. The ball rolled to the Dayton bullpen, where a Dragons reliever grabbed the ball, thinking it was foul. But the ball was called fair by plate umpire Tanner Moore, resulting in a ground rule double. The Dragons argued the call and both umpires discussed the play, but the call stood. One run scored on the play to make it 3-1. The next Peoria hitter, Taylor Bryant, belted a three-run home run off the left field foul pole to give the Chiefs a 4-3 lead.

The Chiefs added single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to extend their lead to 6-3. The Dragons threatened in the eighth, getting a lead-off single by Gordon and a walk to Beltre, followed by a run-scoring single by Stuart Fairchild to bring in Gordon and make it a 6-4 game. The Dragons had runners at first and second with no outs, but Montrell Marshall struck out, John Sansone popped out to shortstop, and Narciso Crook struck out to end the threat.

The Chiefs added a run in the top of the ninth to push their lead to 7-4. The Dragons put two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate, but Beltre struck out to end the game.

Dragons starting pitcher Tyler Mondile (0-3) pitched extremely well outside of a brief stretch in the fourth inning. He lasted six full innings, allowing six hits and four runs with no walks and four strikeouts. Mondile allowed only two base runners outside of the fourth inning but was charged with the loss.

The Dragons finished with eight hits. Miles Gordon went 4 for 5 with three runs scored, marking the third four-hit game of the year for a Dayton player. Beltre had two hits and two runs batted in.

In the Standings: The Dragons record on the year fell to 18-14 with the loss. They are in third place in the Midwest League East Division. They began the day two games behind first place Bowling Green and one and one-half games behind second place Lansing.

Up Next: The Dragons close out their series against Peoria at Fifth Third Field on Saturday night at 7:07 p.m. Hunter Greene (0-2, 13.97) will start for the Dragons against Peoria's Jake Walsh (1-1, 3.60).

Game Broadcast: Saturday night's game will be televised on Dayton's CW (Channel 26; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). All Dragons games are broadcast on radio on Fox Sports 980 WONE and on the internet at wone.com. Games are also available on the Dayton Dragons mobile app.

For Dragons 2018 ticket information, call (937) 228-2287.

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from May 11, 2018


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central