Dragons Fall on Walk-off Home Run at Fort Wayne, 3-2, on Friday Night
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dragons Fall on Walk-off Home Run at Fort Wayne, 3-2, on Friday Night

Published on May 22, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Fort Wayne, Ind. - Fort Wayne's Jack Costello hit a three-run "walk-off" home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the TinCaps to a 3-2 victory over the Dayton Dragons. Fort Wayne has won the last two games of the six-game set after the Dragons won the first two contests.

Game Recap: The contest featured a pitcher's duel through the early and middle innings between Dayton starter Jose Montero and Fort Wayne's Kash Mayfield. Montero was brilliant, allowing just one hit over six shutout innings. He struck out six and walked two without allowing a runner past first base. Mayfield, the San Diego Padres first round draft pick in 2024, tossed five scoreless frames, allowing just two hits with eight strikeouts.

The Dragons broke the scoreless tie with two runs in the top of the eighth inning. The inning began with back-to-back walks to Peyton Stovall and Victor Acosta before Carlos Sanchez sacrificed the runners to second and third. After Alfredo Duno was intentionally walked, Kien Vu reached on an infield single to the right side that drove in Stovall to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead. With two outs, Yerlin Confidan drew a bases loaded walk to bring in Acosta and make it 2-0.

In the bottom of the eighth, Fort Wayne loaded the bases with two outs when Jimmy Romano was summoned from the bullpen to give an infield popout to end the threat.

In the bottom of the ninth, Fort Wayne's Alex McCoy lined a single to left to start the inning. Romano struck out the next hitter for the first out. The next batter, Carlos Rodriguez, hit a high drive to left that Vu dropped on the warning track for an error, putting runners at first and second. Jack Costello then launched a three-run home run to left field to end the game and give Fort Wayne a 3-2 victory.

Virtually the entire game was played in a steady light rain.

The Dragons finished the night with only four hits including two by Vu. The Dragons did not have an extra base hit. Confidan was 0 for 2 with two walks to snap his 13-game hitting streak, the longest of the year by a Dayton player. Carter Graham was 0 for 4 to snap a nine-game hitting streak.

With the loss, the Dragons fell to three and one-half games behind first place Great Lakes in the Midwest League East Division with 23 games to play in the first half season.

Up Next: The Dragons (24-19) play at Fort Wayne against the TinCaps (21-22) again on Saturday at 6:35 pm in the fifth game of the six-game series. Kyle McCoy will make his first start for the Dragons after being called up from the Single-A Daytona Tortugas on Friday. McCoy was an eighth round draft pick in 2025 out of the University of Maryland.

The next home game at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District is Tuesday, May 26 when the Dragons host the Great Lakes Loons. For ticket information, go to daytondragons.com/tickets or call (937) 228-2287.

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.

*Approved Dragons marks, logos, photos, and videos can be found here: https://daytondragonscs.box.com/s/vawqwub6gite6ajcinn14j6k6eb73tj9

More Information: The Dayton Dragons are the affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds and play 66 home games at beautiful Day Air Ballpark, in the heart of the Water Street District. Contact the Dragons by calling at (937) 228-2287, emailing at dragons@daytondragons.com, or go to daytondragons.com. For more information, please visit the following links:

2026 Schedule: https://www.milb.com/dayton/tickets/gameplanschedules Season Tickets: https://www.milb.com/dayton/tickets/seasontickets Group and Hospitality Options: https://www.milb.com/dayton/tickets/groupoutings

The Dragons sellout streak is active and stands at 1,657 consecutive games. The streak is a testament to the Dayton area community. Support the Dayton Dragons and become a Dragons season ticket holder.

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Midwest League Stories from May 22, 2026


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