MWL Dayton Dragons

Fort Wayne Breaks 8-8 Tie in 9th to Top Dragons on Wednesday Night

Published on September 6, 2023 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - The Fort Wayne TinCaps scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to break an 8-8 tie and defeat the Dayton Dragons 13-9 on Wednesday night.

The Dayton loss dropped the Dragons to three games out of first place in the Midwest League East Division standings. There are four games to play in the second half season. To reach the playoffs, Dayton will need to win their final four games combined with at least three losses by second place West Michigan, plus at least one loss by Lake County.

The Fort Wayne overshadowed outstanding performances by Dayton's Ruben Ibarra and Carlos Jorge. Ibarra blasted two home runs and drove in four runs, while Jorge had two hits including a grand slam home run. The Dragons overcame a big deficit to hold a lead in the middle innings, only to see Fort Wayne battle back to win.

Fort Wayne built an early 6-0 lead in the early innings before the Dragons battled back. Trailing by six runs in the third, the first three Dragons batters had hits in the inning including a run-scoring single by Allan Cerda that got the Dragons on the comeback trail. After a two-out walk to Justice Thompson loaded the bases, Carlos Jorge blasted a grand slam home run to right-center field to pull the Dragons to within a run at 6-5. The homer was the third in the last eight games for Jorge.

In the fourth inning, the Dragons drew a pair of walks to bring Ruben Ibarra to the plate with two on and two out, and Ibarra launched a long home run to left field to give the Dragons an 8-6 lead.

But Fort Wayne battled back. The TinCaps scored a single run in the sixth to make it 8-7, and they added another run in the seventh to tie the game. The game was tied 8-8 when Fort Wayne produced a big ninth inning, scoring five runs against Dayton reliever Zach Maxwell (3-2). Dayton catcher Hayden Jones moved to the mound and faced two batters, getting the final out in the ninth when the Dragons ran out of available pitchers. He became the first Dragons position player to pitch this season.

Ibarra's second homer of the night and 18th of the year, a solo shot, closed out the scoring in the bottom of the ninth.

The Dragons finished with 11 hits. Edwin Arroyo had three hits including two doubles. Ibarra, Jorge, and Sal Stewart each had two hits.

Notes: The game was played in three hours, 38 minutes, the longest nine inning game of the season for the Dragons.

Up Next: The Dragons (32-30, 65-63) host Fort Wayne (35-27, 67-61) in the third game of the six-game series on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Ryan Cardona (0-0, 9.00) is scheduled to make his second start for Dayton since being promoted from Daytona. 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.

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Midwest League Stories from September 6, 2023


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