Walk-off grand slam lifts Lugnuts over Dragons

Pregame fun at the Dayton Dragons game at Day Air Ballpark Wednesday night April 20, 2022. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Credit: Marshall Gorby

Pregame fun at the Dayton Dragons game at Day Air Ballpark Wednesday night April 20, 2022. MARSHALL GORBY \STAFF

Lansing’s Tyler Soderstrom connected on a walk-off grand slam home run to break a 3-3 tie with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the Lugnuts to a 7-3 victory over the Dayton Dragons on Thursday night.

The Lugnuts have won two of three so far in the six-game series that will continue through Sunday.

Lansing overcame another home run by Dayton’s Alex McGarry, his league-leading 10th of the season.  McGarry reached double-figures in home runs quicker than any Dayton hitter since at least 2004.

Eight of the 10 runs in the game came on home runs.

The Dragons trailed 2-0 before taking the lead in the top of the sixth inning as Elly De La Cruz blasted a 433-foot home run to get the Dragons scoring started. Following the home run, Nick Quintana walked, and Alex McGarry launched a home run to right field to put Dayton up 3-2.

Lansing tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out run-scoring single by Brett Harri. Harris has gone 6 for 7 with three home runs in the last two games against the Dragons.

In the ninth, Lansing loaded the bases with one out before Tyler Soderstrom, the first-round draft pick of the Oakland Athletics in 2020, delivered a grand slam homer to right to end the game.

The Dragons collected just five hits. McGarry was 2 for 3 while Jose Torres was 2 for 4.

The loss was charged to Dragons reliever Jake Gilbert (1-1), who pitched a scoreless eighth inning before surrendering Soderstrom’s home run with one out in the ninth.

FRIDAY’S GAME

Dayton at Lansing, 7:05 p.m., 980