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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Dragons Win, Cut Deficit to Half Game

September 2, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio-The Dayton Dragons built an 8-1 lead over the first seven innings and held off a South Bend comeback bid to defeat the Silver Hawks 8-6 in the first game of a big three-game series on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Field. The win pulled the Dragons to within one-half game of the Silver Hawks in the playoff wildcard race with five games to play.

Carlos Mendez had three hits, Kevin Coddington belted his first home run of the season, and Tony Brown added a double and triple to lead a 12-hit Dragons attack.

Trailing 8-2 going to the ninth inning, South Bend scored four runs against Dragons reliever Scott Gaffney and had the tying runs on base with two outs before Donnie Joseph entered the game to strike out pinch hitter Victor Estevez to end the game.

The Dragons took an early lead with two runs in the second inning. Mendez started the inning with a single to left. The next batter, Cody Puckett, hit a deep drive to left that hit off the glove of South Bend's Alfredo Marte, allowing Mendez to go to third as Puckett went to second. When Marte made a wild throw back toward second, Mendez scored and Puckett went to third. Puckett scored on Humberto Sosa's single to center to make it 2-0.

Dayton added two more runs in the fourth, getting three doubles in the inning from Puckett, Brown, and Miguel Rojas, to go ahead 4-0.

South Bend scored their only run against Dragons starting pitcher Mark Serrano in the top of the fifth, but Coddington belted a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth to give Dayton a 5-1 lead.

The Dragons appeared to blow the game open with three runs in the sixth, keyed by back-to-back triples by Mike Konstanty and Brown, to go ahead 8-1.

South Bend scored one run in the eighth and collected four hits and four runs in the ninth to make it close before Joseph came on to get the final out.

Serrano (3-1) earned the win, working five and two-thirds innings and allowing one run on five hits with three walks and eight strikeouts.

The Dragons host South Bend again Wednesday in the second game of the series at 7:00 p.m. at Fifth Third Field. J.C. Sulbaran (4-5, 5.30) will start for Dayton against South Bend's Randy Rodriguez (5-10, 5.60).

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Midwest League Stories from September 2, 2009


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