DAYTON, Ohio – The TinCaps beat the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate), 7-1, on Friday night at Day Air Ballpark. With two games remaining in the regular season, Fort Wayne remains a half-game ahead of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers affiliate) for a spot in the Midwest League Playoffs.
The TinCaps (36-28, 68-62 overall) fell behind 1-0 in the first inning, but erupted for four runs in the fourth inning and never looked back. Shortstop Kervin Pichardo hit a game-tying single. Then right fielder Tyler Robertson knocked a go-ahead, two-run triple. Left fielder Kai Murphy added an RBI single.
Third baseman Carlos Luis tacked on a two-run homer in the seventh. First baseman Griffin Doersching gave further insurance with a run-scoring single in the ninth.
Meanwhile, Dylan Lesko (No. 4 Padres prospect) showcased moxie and guile, gritting through four innings with five strikeouts. Rookie Tyler Morgan followed with two hitless innings, as did Ethan Routzahn. After having a single in the first and another in the second, the Dragons (33-31, 66-64) didn’t get a hit again until there were two outs in the ninth. José Geraldo finished the game on the mound.
Fort Wayne out-hit Dayton 12-3. Center fielder Lucas Dunn, Doersching, catcher Anthony Vilar, and Pichardo each had two hits.
The TinCaps have a “magic number” to clinch a playoff spot of two. That means any combination of two Fort Wayne wins, two West Michigan losses, or one of each would put the TinCaps in the postseason for the first time since 2017.
Next Game: Saturday, Sept. 9 @ Dayton (7:05 p.m.)
- TinCaps Probable Starter: LHP Austin Krob (No. 28 Padres prospect)
- Dragons Probable Starter: RHP Carson Rudd
