Second game of Dragons doubleheader suspended due to curfew

Quin Cotton is greeted at home plate by Francisco Urbaez after hitting his sixth home run to get the Dragons on the scoreboard Wednesday night against Great Lakes. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

Quin Cotton is greeted at home plate by Francisco Urbaez after hitting his sixth home run to get the Dragons on the scoreboard Wednesday night against Great Lakes. Jeff Gilbert/CONTRIBUTED

The Dayton Dragons and West Michigan Whitecaps were suspended on Saturday morning prior to the end of the second game of a doubleheader due to Minor League Baseball’s curfew guidelines.

The rare situation came about after the first game of the doubleheader, which was won by West Michigan 2-1, was delayed at the start by two hours and one minute. The second game of the doubleheader started at 10:46 p.m. and was suspended at 12:52 a.m. with Dayton leading 7-4 after five innings in a game scheduled for seven innings.

The suspended game resumed Saturday night in West Michigan and was followed by the regularly scheduled nine-inning game.

West Michigan collected just two hits in the first game but pulled out a 2-1 win, limiting the Dragons to three hits. Dayton’s only run came on a Quin Cotton RBI double in the sixth that pulled the Dragons to within a run.

In the second game, Dayton scored five runs in the top of the first inning, keyed by a three-run home run by James Free. West Michigan battled back and trailed 5-3 after three innings before the Dragons scored two runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 7-3. Victor Ruiz’s run-scoring double was the big hit in the inning. West Michigan picked up one run in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-4 as the inning ended at 12:52 a.m.

Minor League Baseball rules do not allow any inning to begin after 12:50 a.m. under most circumstances.