Dragons trails early, lose

TinCaps use three-run leads to topple Dragons for three victories in the four-game series.

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By Marc Katz, Staff Writer Updated 12:17 AM Saturday, July 4, 2009

For more than 200 years, fireworks have peppered the July Fourth weekend sky.

For the past four days, the Fort Wayne TinCaps have peppered the Dayton Dragons with three-run leads.

Friday, July 3, it happened again and, for the third time in four games, the TinCaps beat the Dragons 5-3, a minute before downtown fireworks exploded outside Fifth Third Field.

Only on Tuesday, in the first game of this minihomestand, did the Dragons recover to win after trailing 3-0.

“We’ve got to hit better,” Dragons manager Todd Benzinger said. “We didn’t play well enough to win.”

Told the Dragons are scoring runs later in the game and seem to be on the verge of winning more, Benzinger said, “We can’t be content with a different ‘feel’ to the game. We can’t be content with falling behind and coming back a little bit.”

Dragons tales

Seventh-round draft choice Josh Fellhauer, an outfielder on Cal State-Fullerton’s College World Series team, joined the Dragons after signing his first contract earlier in the day and undergoing a physical.

Benzinger wanted to give Fellhauer a chance to get acclimated and will probably start him for the first time tonight at West Michigan. Benzinger said he would have used him as a pinch runner in the ninth if the Dragons put anyone on base.

Fellhauer took the place of outfielder Dave Sappelt, who was promoted to Sarasota, while two other Dragons also were unavailable. Outfielder Byron Wiley missed a second straight game with a broken nose, while third baseman Carlos Mendez sat out with a sore left wrist. Both are day-to-day.

• Pitcher Josh Ravin, on the disabled list with a strained elbow, will miss at least one more week.

• Catcher Kevin Coddington had a busy week, visiting Children’s Medical Center on Wednesday morning, making an appearance at Bob Evans Thursday morning and another appearance at a McDonald’s at noon on Friday.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.