DAYTON — The Dayton Dragons advanced to the Midwest League (MWL) Championship Series for the first time in history on Friday.
[DOWNLOAD: Free WHIO-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]
The Dragons beat Great Lakes, 5-0, at Day Air Ballpark.
Mason Morris and four relievers combined on a five-hitter on Friday.
TRENDING STORIES:
- City renews efforts to stop violence after deadly Dayton shooting
- Local school employee placed on paid leave after arrest
- Injuries reported after crash on I-75 SB in Dayton
The game was scoreless in the fourth inning when Dayton loaded the bases with two outs. Damian Ruiz drove in all three runs with a line-drive double, and the Dragons led 3-0.
He advanced to third base on the play. Ruiz broke for the plate as he tried to steal home plate. Great Lakes catcher Victor Rodrigues stepped in front of home plate to receive the pitch and tagged Ruiz. But the home plate umpire called a “catcher’s balk” and catcher’s interference.
By rule, the catcher cannot leave the catcher’s box to receive a pitch. The umpires awarded Ruiz home plate and extended the Dragons’ lead to 4-0.
Ryan McCrystal capped the scoring with a sixth inning opposite-field home run.
Dayton plays Quad Cities in Game 1 of the MWL Championship Series (best-of-three).
Game 1 is Sunday at 6 p.m. in Davenport, Iowa.
The Dragons will host Game 2 on Tuesday at Day Air Ballpark.
Visit this website for ticket information.
[SIGN UP: WHIO-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
