Ninth-inning HR leads Dragons past Loons

Dayton first baseman tosses to pitcher Hunter Parks covering first base, but Fort Wayne's Carlos Luis was safe for a single in the first inning Tuesday night at Day Air Ballpark. CONTRIBUTED/Jeff Gilbert

Dayton first baseman tosses to pitcher Hunter Parks covering first base, but Fort Wayne's Carlos Luis was safe for a single in the first inning Tuesday night at Day Air Ballpark. CONTRIBUTED/Jeff Gilbert

Ruben Ibarra blasted a three-run home run with two outs in the ninth inning as the Dayton Dragons erased a 2-0 deficit and defeated the Great Lakes Loons 3-2 in the series opener on Tuesday night.

The win was the fourth in a row for the Dragons and was their second straight game in which they hit a home run with two outs in the ninth inning to tie or take the lead.

The Dragons were down to their final strike when their comeback rally began in the top of the ninth inning. Edwin Arroyo lined a double to left-center field to keep the Dragons alive, and Austin Callahan followed by drawing a walk.  Ibarra then launched a drive far beyond the left field fence that was estimated at 451′ with an exit velocity of 112 mph.

Reliever Braxton Roxby closed out the comeback win with a perfect bottom of the ninth inning.

With the win, the Dragons remained two games behind first place Fort Wayne in the Midwest League’s East Division.

Roxby (3-3) was credited with the win, throwing two perfect innings with one strikeout. Reliever Owen Holt was nearly as effective, allowing just one base runner and no runs in 2 1/3 innings. Starter Kevin Abel struck out six in 4 2/3 innings while allowing three hits, three walks, and two runs.

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