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Dragons Win But Playoff Hopes End as Cedar Rapids Tops Peoria

September 18, 2021 - High-A Central League (High-A Central) - Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - Mariel Bautista hit a three-run home run and Allan Cerda added a two-run double to lead the Dayton Dragons to an 8-5 victory over the Fort Wayne TinCaps on Saturday. The win was the Dragons fifth straight to match a season high. A crowd of 8,026 was in attendance at Day Air Ballpark.

Despite the win, the Dragons playoff hopes came to end as Cedar Rapids defeated Peoria 6-3. Cedar Rapids leads the Dragons by two games with one game to play in the race for the #2 playoff seed.

The Dragons scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take an early lead. Cerda's two-run double got the scoring started, and James Free added a run-scoring single to make it 3-0. The Dragons added another run in the third on Matt McLain's RBI single to make it 4-0.

Fort Wayne cut the deficit in half with two runs in the top of the fourth, but the Dragons responded in the bottom of the same inning when Bautista blasted a three-run home run to right field, his fifth homer of the year. Another run scored in the inning on a wild pitch to make it 8-2.

Fort Wayne battled back with single runs in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings and had the tying run at the plate with no one out in the ninth when the Dragons summoned Vin Timpanelli from the bullpen. Timpanelli retired three straight batters, including two on strikeouts, for his fifth save.

Andy Fisher pitched two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win and improve to 5-1. Starting pitcher James Proctor worked the first four innings, allowing two runs on four hits with four walks and six strikeouts.

The Dragons collected 10 hits, all within the first five innings. Bautista, Cerda, and McLain each had two.

Up Next: The Dragons (64-55) host Fort Wayne (54-65) in the last game of the season on Sunday at 2:05 p.m. at Day Air Ballpark. Christian Roa (2-2, 3.86) will start for the Dragons while Connor Lehmann (3-4, 8.64) will start for Fort Wayne.

On the Air: The Dragons game on Sunday will be televised on Dayton's CW (Channel 26; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). All Dragons games are broadcast on radio on 980 WONE AM Fox Sports. 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.

For Dragons 2021 ticket information, call (937) 228-2287 or go to daytondragons.com.

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