Dragons rally late to top Cubs

Dayton second baseman Tyler Callihan watches a grand slam sail onto the right-field lawn earlier this season at Day Air Ballpark. CONTRIBUTED/Jeff Gilbert

Dayton second baseman Tyler Callihan watches a grand slam sail onto the right-field lawn earlier this season at Day Air Ballpark. CONTRIBUTED/Jeff Gilbert

Dayton pitchers Javi Rivera, Brooks Crawford, and Vin Timpanelli combined to allow just five hits and Tyler Callihan led a well-balanced 10-hit attack as the Dragons defeated the South Bend Cubs 4-2 on Thursday night in South Bend.

The game was tied 2-2 when Callihan delivered a one-out triple to the right field corner in the top of the eighth inning. With the infield in, Austin Callahan hit a hard bouncer over the head of the first baseman all the way to the right field corner.Tyler Callihan scored easily and Austin Callahan raced to third with a triple to make it 3-2.

In the ninth, the Dragons scored an insurance run when Blake Dunn’s infield single with two outs brought in Mat Nelson from third to make it 4-2. Nelson had reached on an error earlier in the inning.

The Dragons jumped out to a 2-0 lead. In the second, Ibarra singled hard to left-center and eventually scored on Edwin Arroyo’s single to left. In the third, Justice Thompson tripled and scored on Tyler Callihan’s RBI grounder off the glove of the first baseman. South Bend scored one run in the bottom of the third and then tied the game in the seventh before the Dragons regained the lead in the eighth.

Rivera started the game for the Dragons and worked five innings, allowing one run on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts. Crawford (3-1) allowed the tying run to score in the seventh but was credited with the win. He tossed two innings, allowing two hits and one run with three walks and three strikeouts. Timpanelli picked up his second save with two scoreless innings. He did not give up a hit or a walk and struck out two.

The Dragons collected three triples after not having more than one in any previous game this season.

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