Dragons top Whitecaps in series opener

Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons, during a recent night game. Contributed photo / Dragons

Day Air Ballpark, home of the Dayton Dragons, during a recent night game. Contributed photo / Dragons

Dayton left fielder Ethan O’Donnell made a game-saving diving catch with two outs in the ninth inning as the Dragons held on to defeat the West Michigan Whitecaps 4-2 in the opener to a six-game series on Tuesday night.

Dayton starting pitcher Gabriel Aguilera, in his first day with the team after being called up from Single-A Daytona, did not allow a runner past first base in five scoreless innings.

The Dragons jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Cam Collier singled to start the inning and went to second when Carlos Jorge walked. After a sacrifice bunt by O’Donnell, Collier scored on a ground out by Leo Balcazar that deflected off the pitcher. Cade Hunter followed with a double to deep right-center field that brought in Jorge to make it 2-0.

In the fourth, Collier doubled to start the inning and scored from second on a deep sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of Jorge. After the catch was made, the center fielder lost control of the ball, allow Collier to tag and advance two bases to make it 3-0.

Logan Tanner blasted a home run to right field in the fifth to give the Dragons a 4-0 lead. The homer was Tanner’s fourth of the season.

Aguilera worked five scoreless innings, allowing just two hits (both singles) with one walk and five strikeouts. West Michigan never threatened to score against Aguilera, who joined the team early Tuesday morning after arriving from Daytona.

West Michigan scored two runs against Dayton reliever Arij Fransen in the seventh, but John Murphy entered the game to pitch a scoreless eighth inning. Murphy went back to the mound in the ninth and allowed an infield single and a two-out double that left runners at second and third. West Michigan’s Seth Stephenson then hit a line drive toward left field. O’Donnell raced straight in and made a lunging catch, holding the ball as he hit the ground, to save and end the game.

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