MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Earn Dramatic 13-Inning Win

Published on July 12, 2015 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio-The Dayton Dragons have come from behind to win 25 times this season. On Sunday, they battled back to tie the game five different times, then took their only lead of the day when the winning run scored in the bottom of the 13th inning as the Dragons defeated the Lansing Lugnuts 10-9. The three hour, 59 minute marathon was the Dragons longest game in more than three years.

When Lansing's Ryan McBroom delivered his sixth hit of the game, a two-run single in the top of the 13th inning, the Lugnuts took a 9-7 lead. But the Dragons answered when Paul Kronenfeld lined a two-run triple to left field to tie the game with one out in the bottom of the inning, and Argenis Aldazoro won it with a base hit to right to bring in Kronenfeld.

The win was the Dragons fourth straight and gave them their 10th "walk-off" victory of the 2015 season. The Dragons were down to their final out in the ninth and 11th innings before scoring to keep the game alive, and then winning it in the 13th.

The game-winning rally began when Cory Thompson was hit by a pitch with one out in the 13th, and Luis Gonzalez walked on a 3-2 pitch. Kronenfeld followed with a drive that bounced off the left field fence, bringing in both runners to tie the game at 9-9. After back-to-back intentional walks to load the bases and set up a force play at the plate, Aldazoro lined a 1-2 pitch toward the gap in right-center that fell for a hit, allowing Kronenfeld to score to end the game.

Lansing scored three runs with two outs in the top of the first inning to jump out to a quick lead. But the Dragons answered with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first, getting a two-run single from Aldazoro, followed by a double steal when Aldazoro stole second and Avain Rachal stole home to tie the game at 3-3.

Lansing responded with two runs in the top of the second, but the Dragons tied the game in the third on a long two-run home run to left field by Rachal to make it 5-5. The homer, which landed on the concessions building, was Rachal's third of the season.

McBroom, who was 6 for 6 for Lansing to maintain his place as the Midwest League batting leader, homered to left field in the fifth to give the Lugnuts a 6-5 lead. There was no more scoring until the ninth.

Jonathan Reynoso started bottom of the ninth inning with a single to right field for the Dragons. Reynoso went to second on a sacrifice, to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Kronenfeld's two-out single to left to tie the game. On the same play, Luis Gonzalez tried to score from second with the winning run but was tagged out at the plate.

Lansing nearly took the lead in the 10th inning when McBroom tried to score from third on an apparent wild pitch, but the pitch took a fortunate bounce for the Dragons and came directly off the backstop to catcher Chadwick Tromp, who threw to the plate to pitcher Conor Krauss for the tag of McBroom on a close play. The Lugnuts did score a run in the top of the 11th to take a 7-6 lead.

In the bottom of the 11th, Trump doubled to right-center with one out and was replaced by pinch runner Shed Long. Long went to third on a two-out infield single by Gonzalez, and scored when Lansing third baseman Alex Maldonado bobbled a ground ball to his left off the bat of Gavin LaValley and could not recover in time to throw out LaValley at first.

Lansing nearly scored again in the 12th as they loaded the bases with no one out, but Dragons reliever Jacob Moody got a double play ball and a strikeout to end the threat. McBroom's two-run single in the top of the 13th set the stage for the Dragons heroics in the bottom of the inning.

The Dragons finished with 14 hits. Tromp and Aldazoro each had three. Kronenfeld drove in the tying run with hits in both the ninth and 13th innings.

The Dragons (9-9 in the second half; 48-40 overall) host the Lugnuts (9-9, 51-37) in the series finale on Monday at 7:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field as Dayton goes for a four-game sweep. Junior Morillo (1-4, 5.54) will start for the Dragons against Lansing's Justin Shafer (4-0, 4.82).

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.

Notes: The Dragons are 6-0 in extra inning games at home this season and their 10 walk-off wins have surpassed their total of nine from the 2013-'14 seasons combined.

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Midwest League Stories from July 12, 2015


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