Dragons fall to Lugnuts on walk-off double

Miguel Hernandez swings for a double in the second inning of Game 1 Wednesday night to produce the Dragons' first run against Great Lakes. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

Miguel Hernandez swings for a double in the second inning of Game 1 Wednesday night to produce the Dragons' first run against Great Lakes. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

Lansing’s Yerdel Vargas doubled off the glove of diving center fielder Michael Siani to bring in the winning run from first base with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning as the Lugnuts edged the Dayton Dragons 5-4 on Sunday afternoon.

The Dragons won four of six in the series and completed a 13-game road trip with 7-6 mark.

Jack Rogers, who joined the Dragons on Wednesday as a 2021 ninth-round draft pick out of Sam Houston State, tied the game in the top of the ninth inning with a one-out, two-run home run to left field.

The Lugnuts got a one-out single from Drew Swift to start their rally. After Dragons reliever John Ghyzel got a strikeout for the second out, Vargas sent a fly ball toward left-center field. Siani made a diving try but the ball deflected off his glove and rolled away as Swift scored from first to end the game.

Lansing took a 1-0 lead in the first before the Dragons tied the game in the third. Siani ripped a triple to the fence in right-center field with two outs, and Ivan Johnson flared a hit over shortstop to make it 1-1.

Lansing regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third before the Dragons scored in the sixth to cut the deficit in half. Johnson and Matt McLain were both hit by pitches with one out, and one batter later, Quin Cotton lined a hit to right-center field to drive in Johnson to make it 3-2.

Lansing added another run in the seventhto make it 4-2.

Dayton’s Juan Martinez walked to start the ninth, and with one out, Rogers blasted an opposite field home run to left to make it 4-4.

The Dragons (48-42) do not play on Monday. They return home to open a six-game series at Day Air Ballpark on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. against the Lake County Captains (47-42).

TUESDAY’S GAME

Lake County at Dayton, 7:05 p.m., 980