MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Hammer Home Win with Six Run Seventh Inning

Published on June 25, 2005 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Fort Wayne, IN- Once again, the Dayton Dragons (3-0, 33-40) brought the "A Game" to the yard for Saturday's battle with the Fort Wayne Wizards (0-3, 38-35). The Wizards jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead but the Dragons bided their time and tied the game in the sixth before erupting for a sixth run seventh inning to drop Fort Wayne for the third straight night, winning 8-4 in front of 6,429 at Memorial Stadium.

Dayton starter Camilo Vazquez (ND) had a tough act to follow. The Dayton starter was on the hill to open the game against Fort Wayne, less than 24 hours after Friday's starter Homer Bailey tossed the first 6.0 innings of a combined three hit shutout effort over the Wizards in the second game of the four game series. Vazquez allowed four straight hits to open the Fort Wayne first as the home team took a 2-0 advantage.

Chris Kolkhorst lead off the Wizards first inning with his first of four hits on the night, a single to left. Brian Fryer followed with a two run home run to left center off Vazquez to give Fort Wayne the lead. Vazquez allowed five hits in the bottom of the first inning and FW seemed poised for a big inning with the bases loaded and one down. Lachlan Dale bounced into a 5-3 double play to keep the damage at a minimum as the inning came to an end.

For the third consecutive night, the Dragons showed great patience at the plate. The Dragons second saw Bobby Mosby lead off the frame with a double to left. The first off two Chris Kroski hits moved "Big Mo" to third where he was driven home by a Jorge Mejia sac fly. The first RBI for Mejia on the season cut the Wizards lead in half at 2-1.

The game remained 2-1 in favor of the Wizards until the top of the sixth inning, the last on the hill for Fort Wayne starter Joel Santo (ND). Dragons catcher John Purdom tied the game at 2-2 with a solo shot over the fence in left center. The homer was Purdom's second of the season, with both of the round trippers coming away from home.

A 2-2 tie was blown apart by the Dragons in the top half of the seventh inning as the Wizards bullpen imploded. Dayton picked up six runs on five hits to seal the deal for the clubs third straight win. New FW hurler Geivy Garcia (LP, 1-2) was greeted by Kroski and Mejia with back-to-back singles to open the inning. Strait's eighth RBI of the series put the Dragons ahead to stay at 3-2. Drew Anderson added an RBI double for a 4-2 lead. Garcia was gone after just 0.1 innings. The right hander allowed four runs on four hits and suffered his second loss of the season. With two on and one down in the inning Bradley Key knocked home a pair with a single to left off reliever to give Dayton a 6-2 lead. Wizards shortstop Matt Bush chipped in with a throwing error that plated two more runs to open up an 8-2 advantage.

Josh Thigpen (WP, 3-2) retired nine in a row over his 3.0 innings of work to pick up his third win of the season. The right hander struck out five of the nine batters that he faced, as only one ball was hit by the Wizards out of the infield during his stint. Jared Sanders (ND) bridged the fourth and fifth after Vazquez left the game with 2.0 innings of shutout work as the first Dayton pitcher out of the pen. Zac Stott (ND) finished the night off for the Dragons allowing a pair of earned runs in the ninth inning on two hits and a walk.

The Dragons look for the sweep as the Miami Valley's team and the Wizards wrap up the four game series at Memorial Stadium Sunday afternoon. 1410 ESPN Radio WING AM carries the game live, beginning with the pre game show at 2:30 PM. Sunday's first pitch is 3:00 PM. LHP Philippe Valiquette gets the start for the Dragons, while Fort Wayne will counter with RHP Vern Sterry.

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Midwest League Stories from June 25, 2005


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