Four-Run Eighth Inning Steers Captains to 5-1 Win Over Dragons

EASTLAKE, Ohio – In Game 5 of a seven-game series, the Lake County Captains (59-50, 22-23) defeated the Dayton Dragons (58-53, 19-26) by a final score of 5-1 on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

After scoring the game’s opening run in the first inning and being held scoreless for the next six frames, Lake County exploded with four runs in the eighth to propel themselves to victory. With the win, the Captains secured a series victory for this week’s seven-game set by taking four of the first five contests.

Things looked bleak early in the first for Lake County, as the first two batters were retired. But after the next two reached base, DH Riley Nelson came through with an RBI single to give the Captains an early 1-0 lead.

Dayton eventually answered in the fourth and tied the game at 1-1 thanks to a solo home run from SS Justin Lebron, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 Reds prospect. His mammoth blast down the left field line marked the first home run of his pro career.

From there, outs piled up on both sides, as Lake County continued to threaten but could not capitalize on opportunities. After the Captains left the bases loaded in both the sixth and seventh innings, Lake County flipped the script in the eighth. LF José Pirela began the home half of the eighth inning with a double before 2B Garrett Howe put the Captains in front with a two-run home run, his third long ball of the season. A dropped infield pop-up by Dragons 3B Tyson Lewis, MLB Pipeline’s No. 5 Reds prospect, eventually led to a pair of Lake County insurance runs courtesy of an RBI double from 1B Anthony Martinez and an RBI single from 3B Jeffrey Mercedes.

The Captains’ pitching staff combined to retire 14 of the final 15 Dayton batters to secure the win for Lake County.

RHP Xavier Martinez (W, 3-0) earned the win for the Captains, allowing just one hit in two scoreless innings of relief, striking out five.

RHP Stephen Quigley (L, 5-3) suffered the loss for the Dragons, surrendering four runs (two earned) on four hits in an inning of relief, throwing a strikeout and issuing a walk.

RHP Jacob Zibin (ND) turned in a quality start for Lake County, giving up just one run on three hits in six innings of work, striking out seven while walking one.

Game 6 of this week’s seven-game series between the Captains and Dragons is scheduled for Saturday night, Aug. 15, at 7 p.m. Lake County will celebrate Random Jersey Night at the ballpark, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Captains Fleece Blanket presented by Stanley Steemer. There will also be a postgame fireworks show presented by Coca-Cola. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

NOTES TO KNOW

- INF Garrett Howe hit a two-run home run on Friday night. The 2024 11th-round pick out of Samford is batting .333 with 14 hits, three doubles, two home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.020 OPS in his last 15 games.

- INF Welbyn Francisca, MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 Guardians prospect, extended his hitting streak to nine games with a double and a single on Friday night. The 20-year-old is batting .432 with 16 hits, six doubles, five home runs, eight RBI, and a 1.488 OPS during this span.

- 1B Anthony Martinez logged two doubles on Friday night. The 2025 eighth-round pick out of UC Irvine has now hit five doubles in just four games played during this week’s series versus Dayton.

- RHP Jacob Zibin tallied his second quality start in his last three starts on Friday night. The 2022 10th-round pick out of TNXL Academy (FL) leads qualified High-A pitchers with a 0.53 ERA during the month of August, allowing just one earned run in 17.0 innings pitched.

- RHP Xavier Martinez earned his second win of the series on Friday night. The 23-year-old has thrown seven strikeouts without a walk in 4.1 scoreless, one-hit innings out of the bullpen across two relief appearances during this week’s series versus Dayton.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.