Fort Wayne scored one run in the top of the first inning to take an early lead before Dayton’s Cam Collier connected on an opposite field home run in the second to tie the game. Collier’s homer was his 13th of the year, tying him for second most in the Midwest League.
Fort Wayne took advantage of a Dragons error in the fifth to score an unearned run and go ahead 2-1. The TinCaps starting pitcher, Henry Baez, kept the Dragons hitters quiet as he lasted seven innings and allowed just two hits and no walks with seven strikeouts.
The Dragons trailed 2-1 when they came to bat in the top of the eighth. Logan Tanner hit a ball off the left field fence for a one out double, and Yan Contreras followed with a home run to left field to give the Dragons a 3-2 lead. The homer was the biggest hit of the year for Contreras. It was his first long ball of the season and only his fourth extra base hit of the year.
Fort Wayne tied the game in the bottom of the eighth on a two-out double by Romeo Sanabria to make it 3-3. But Rodriguez opened the Dragons ninth inning with a home run to right field, his seventh home run of the season, to give Dayton a 4-3 lead.
Brock Bell pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth to close out the Dayton win. Bell earned the victory, going three innings while allowing one run on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Starter Jose Franco worked the first three innings, allowing one run on two hits. Joseph Menefee pitched the middle three, allowing one unearned run on one hit with no walks and five strikeouts.
Rodriguez and Collier each had two hits.
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