| April 30, 2004 - LANSING – Fifteen batters, 10 hits, and three
homeruns sparked a wild 11-run ninth inning comeback as the Dayton Dragons
(9-12) stunned the Lugnuts 12-7 Friday night at Olds Park.
A game that looked very similar to last night’s outburst for the
Lugnuts, Lansing (11-10) jumped on the board early. Ryan Fitzgerald led
off with a single to left and then stole second. Brian Dopirak knocked him
in with an RBI double to the gap for the 1-0 lead. Jake Fox got hit by a
pitch before Robinson Chirinos hit a towering 3-run homerun to left field
for the quick 4-0 score.
Dayton put a run across in the fifth but Lansing followed with a run in
the bottom of the inning on Chirinos’s RBI triple off the top of the
left field wall. Chirinos finished 2-for-5 with 4 RBIs. The Lugnuts put
two more on the lead in the sixth to go up 7-1 and just about lock up
starter Sean Marshall’s second win
of the season. Marshall went 5.2 innings giving up 5 hits and 1 unearned
run with 8 strikeouts in his fourth straight outing without a decision.
Relievers Weston O’Brien and Clay Rapada maintained the six-run lead
heading into the ninth inning.
Adalberto Mendez came on to close out the game for Lansing, but Dayton
would not give up as the lead quickly evaporated. Evan Conley led off with
a single and Miguel Perez followed with a walk. Will Hudson cut the lead
to five with his RBI single and the next batter Chris Dickerson made it
7-5 with a 3-run blast to right. Mendez stayed in and gave up another
single before allowing the game-tying 2-run homerun to Joey Votto. Reid
Willett replaced Mendez but could do no better as Ryan Fry took
Willett’s first pitch out of the park for back-to-back homers, the third
of the inning, and the lead 8-7. Conley came back up for the second time
in the inning, this time slapping a double to left and scoring on
Perez’s infield single. A hit and walk later the bases were loaded for
Dickerson, who hit a grounder to third but the throw went passed first and
into right field to clear the bases and complete the 11-run inning.
The 12 runs were the most Lansing has given up all season. Willett
(0-1) got the loss for the Lugnuts, giving up 5 runs, 3 earned, on 5 hits
and a walk in only two-thirds of an inning. Dayton reliever Carlos Guevara
(1-1) picked up his first win throwing 2 innings, allowing 1 hit while
striking out three.
The game was delayed by rain for ten minutes. The Lugnuts try to
rebound Saturday on the first LAFCU Fireworks Night as the four-game
series rolls on with the Dragons. The Lugnuts Ronald Bay will pitch
against Dayton’s Tyler Pelland, with game time set for 7:05 p.m.
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