With four games left in the season, the Dragons have won 12 of their last 20.
“I don’t know what it is, but it is a credit to them for grinding it out,” Schofield said. “Maybe they see the light at the end of the tunnel, but now they have all winter to think about it instead of four days like the (mid-season) break.
“It is good for them not to pack it in.”
Lake County took a 1-0 lead in the fourth, but the Dragons tied it in the bottom of the inning and took the lead for good in the fifth on a two-run double by Nick Senzel.
After the Captains cut the lead to 3-2, Dayton scored three runs on one hit in the seventh to take a 6-2 lead.
Zack Shields walked and went to third on a sacrifice and throwing error on a bunt by Mitch Piatnik. Luis Gonzalez followed with a bouncer to the pitcher that was thrown away, and James Vasquez closed the scoring with a 409-foot home run to right.
“Anytime you put the ball in play you make them have to make the play,” Schofield said. “We were aggressive on the bases and it was nice to have it go our way one time.”
Sandy Lugo threw three innings of perfect ball, striking out six.
“Lugo might be our best pitcher of the second half,” Schofield said. “The job he has done consistently has been fun to watch.”
Strong string: Wendolyn Bautista pushed his scoreless-inning string to 17 before giving up a run in the fourth.
Bautista threw the Dragons’ first nine-inning shutout since 2008 on Aug. 26 at Bowling Green and threw five scoreless innings at West Michigan on Aug. 21.
Bautista had last given up a run in the first inning against West Michigan.
Gonzalez and Shields kept their hitting streak alive.
Gonzalez wasted no time pushing his to 10 games with a one-out, first-inning single. Gonzalez is hitting .364 during his streak, raising his average to .223.
Shields, who needed a ninth-inning bloop single on Wednesday to extend his streak to 10, singled in the fifth to remain one ahead of Gonzalez. Shields is hitting . 361 during the streak, raising his average to .239.
Welcome home: Lake County's arrival in Dayton meant a sort of a homecoming for hitting coach Kevin Howard, who began his baseball career with the Dayton Dragons as an infielder in 2003.
Howard, who reached Triple-A, hit .285 with nine home runs and 74 RBIs with the Dragons.
After 12-seasons as a player, Howard retired and spent the 2015 season as the hitting coach for Mahoning Valley Scrappers before moving up to Lake County this year.
On deck: The Dragons close out the home portion of the season tonight at 7 against Lake County with Tony Santillan (2-3, 8.87) on the mound.
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