Walk-off win lifts Dragons back into first place

Free’s night was Wednesday. He singled over the right-fielder’s head to the warning track with the bases loaded and Jonathan Willems trotted home with the winning run in a 3-2 Dayton Dragons victory over Lake County.

The team surrounded Free on the infield dirt between first and second and the jump-around ended up in the outfield grass where he was crowned with a bubblegum bucket. Then came the other celebratory ritual as he was being interviewed next to the dugout. Two teammates sneaked up behind him and dumped a Gatorade cooler of ice water on his head.

When’s the last time you got one of those, James?

“Actually never,” he said, while catching his breath and brushing ice out of his hair. “And first time walking off. Yeah, I’ve never done that before. It was always to tie it.”

Not only was the moment fun for Free and the Dragons, but it was timely to their playoff push. The Dragons (49-43) moved back into a first-place tie with Lake County (49-43) in the East Division of the High-A Central League. Both teams trail Cedar Rapids (51-41) by two games in the chase for the second and final playoff spot.

“It’s just go out there and compete,” Free said. “I got the next guy’s back. The guy behind me’s got the next guy’s back. Just work hard for the team, and I think we’ve been doing that very well this whole season. If we win the whole thing that would be awesome, but we’ve got to take it day by day.”

Eric Yang walked to lead off the ninth and Willems entered as a pinch runner. One out later, Michael Siani bounced a single up the middle. Ivan Johnson then hit a tapper that the pitcher fielded, but when he went to throw to the third for the force out, he dropped the ball. With the bases loaded, Free got a fastball and pulled it to deep left.

“I wasn’t hitting very well,” said Free, who was hitless in his first four at-bats. “I was trying to do something to help the team out, and I did. It was a fastball middle away, and that’s where I wanted it.”

The Dragons took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on Victor Ruiz’s second homer of the season and a sacrifice fly by Jacob Hurtubise. Lake County responded with single runs in the fourth and seventh. The Captains could have had more, but the Dragons threw out two runners on close plays at the plate and another on a close play at third to end the seventh.

The Captains threatened in the top of the ninth when Dragons reliever Stevie Branche (1-0) walked the first two batters.

“There were a couple close calls, but I can’t blame it on that,” Branche said. “Just really not in a rhythm yet. Took me a couple hitters to get into that.”

The walks prompted a visit to the mound from pitching coach Brian Garman. Branche said the message was, “just compete, get your best stuff in the zone, relax and get a zero up on the board and go right after these guys.”

Then Branche fielded a bunt and threw out the lead runner at third. Next was a strikeout looking and strikeout swinging to end the inning.

“Really to just go attack with my stuff, get it in the zone,” said Branche of his mindset after the two walks. “It’s good enough to get guys out, so I thought go right after these guys.”