Dragons Fall to Lake County 7-5 on Thursday
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dragons Fall to Lake County 7-5 on Thursday

Published on August 7, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - Lake County's Jacob Cozart had a home run, double, and single to lead the Captains to a 7-5 win over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night. The Captains built a 7-2 lead and held on despite a late Dragons comeback effort. The Captains have won two of the first three games in the six-game series.

A crowd of 7,516 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

Game Summary:

Lake County took a quick lead when Christian Knapczyk hit the third pitch of the game for a lead-off home run to right field, his seventh homer of the season.

The Dragons responded with two runs in the bottom of the first inning, taking advantage of two walks to start the frame and a run-scoring single by Yerlin Confidan to give Dayton a 2-1 lead.

Lake County battled back, getting a solo home run from Jacob Cozart in the second to tie the game, and then adding two more runs in the third on a pair of two-out RBI hits to take a 4-2 lead. The Captains added three more in the sixth to extend their lead to 7-2.

Dragons starting pitcher Luke Hayden struggled with his command, throwing 73 pitches but only 36 strikes. Hayden lasted two and two-thirds innings, allowing four runs on five hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Bryce Hubbart replaced Hayden and pitched effectively, working an inning and two-thirds of scoreless baseball. Jimmy Romano replaced Hubbart to get the last two outs in the sixth, but Romano ran into problems in the sixth, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) in the inning as Lake County increased their lead to 7-2. The Dragons failed to turn a potential inning-ending double play in the inning, committing an error that opened the door for a three-run inning.

The Dragons could not establish much of a comeback threat until the late innings. They had only two hits through the first seven innings before breaking through with one run in the eighth. Anthony Stephan walked with one out and scored from first on a double by Carlos Sanchez to make it 7-3.

Lake County brought in 35-year-old MLB veteran Tyler Naquin to pitch the ninth. Naquin, a longtime big league outfielder, spent two years with the Reds in 2021-22, but is trying to convert to pitcher this season. He entered the game on Thursday with six scoreless appearances covering eight innings for Lake County and featured a fastball that reached 96 mph. The Dragons got to Naquin for two runs when Ariel Almonte lined a one-out single to left, went to third on Diego Omana's double to center, and scored on a wild pitch. Omana scored on Johnny Ascanio's sacrifice fly to make it 7-5, but the Dragons could not put another man on base to bring the tying run to the plate.

The Dragons had only five hits in the game. Stephan, Sanchez, and Omana each had a double.

Up Next: The Dragons (12-24, 33-68) host the Captains (23-16, 58-47) on Friday at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District at 7:05 pm in the fourth game of the six-game series. Jose Montero (5-3, 4.44) will start for the Dragons. For tickets, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com/tickets.

On the Air: Dragons games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will be televised over-the-air in the Miami Valley on Dayton's CW (Channel 26; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). 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.

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