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MWL1 Dayton Dragons

Whitecaps Win Extra Inning Thriller

May 31, 2006 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Comstock Park, MI - The Dayton Dragons (25-28) came into Wednesday's game with a season high five game losing streak, and the challenge of facing the West Michigan Whitecaps (32-18), co-leaders of the Eastern Division. Dayton matched West Michigan step for step through 11 innings, but a game winning home run from Mike Hernandez allowed the Whitecaps to earn the 4-3 victory in 12 innings.

West Michigan struck first against Dragons starter Philippe Valiquette (ND) in the bottom of the first. Pedro Cotto began the inning with a single to right, and eventually would steal second base. With two down in the inning, Justin Justice drove a double to left center field, scoring Cotto, and giving the Whitecaps the early 1-0 advantage.

Dayton answered immediately with two runs in the top of the second. Habelito Hernandez led off with a single, and advanced to second when shortstop Mike Hollimon booted Craig Tatum's grounder for an error. After Gerardo Cabrera flew out, West Michigan starter Erik Averill (ND) had trouble finding the strike zone. Averill walked both J.D. Reininger and Josh Holden, the latter of which forced in a run to even the game at one. Mike DeJesus followed with a sacrifice fly, scoring Tatum and giving the Dragons their first lead at 2-1.

The Whitecaps strung together four consecutive hits in the bottom of the third to retake the lead. Doubles by Cotto and Matt Joyce, followed by singles from Hernandez and Justice resulted in two runs, and the 3-2 lead for West Michigan.

It would stay that way until the eighth inning. BJ Szymanski walked off Whitecaps reliever Lavon Lewis (ND). Ricky Steik (ND) was brought in from the bullpen to face Habelito Hernandez. Hernandez laid down a bunt single, but third baseman Cory Middleton tried to rush a throw to first, and threw it down the right field line. Szymanski came all the way around to score the tying run, and Hernandez ended up at second base with nobody out. Steik bounced back to get the three outs needed to end the Dragons threat, but not before Dayton tied it at three apiece.

In the meantime, the Dragons got great bullpen work to hold West Michigan at bay. After Valiquette pitched a scoreless fourth, Robert Manuel (ND) tossed three shutout innings and Blake Hendley (ND) shut out the Whitecaps for two innings to send the game into extra innings tied at three.

The two teams exchanged scoreless frames in the 10th and 11th, but then West Michigan would get a game-winning home run from Mike Hernandez in the bottom of the 12th off Dragons reliever Bo Lanier (LP, 2-3) to take game three of the series and extend the Dragons losing streak to six. Matt Rusch (WP, 4-2) pitched three scoreless innings to earn the victory for the Whitecaps.

The Dragons and Whitecaps will wrap up the four game series with a second consecutive School Days at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan on Thursday morning with an 11:00 AM first pitch. The Dragons will start LHP Travis Wood (4-0, 3.35 ERA), while West Michigan counters with RHP Burke Badenhop (5-1, 3.40 ERA). 1410 ESPN Radio WING AM will carry the game live beginning with the Dragons pre game show at 10:30 AM. All Dragons games in 2006 can also be heard live on the internet at www.daytondragons.com.

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Midwest League Stories from May 31, 2006


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