Bell’s 2 RBIs lead way in victory over Lansing
Boyles earns win with seven innings of five-hit pitching.
Long seasons can DAYTON — be difficult, but Dragons manager Dick Schofield believes they can also be useful.
Especially as players make their way up the baseball ladder. Case in point: Brantley Bell.
The second baseman started the season with a slump but has come around over the last month, including Tuesday when he drove in two runs as part of a 2-for-3 night in a 5-3 win over Lansing at Fifth Third Field.
“Sometimes you have to go through struggles to find yourself,” Schofield said. “If you’re going to do it, this is not a bad place to find yourself.
“You keep on grinding, and it sounds easy, but when it’s May and you’re hitting .150 and you have five months to go it’s tough. I think Brantley is an excellent example and it is nice to see.”
Dayton got much-needed breathing room with four two-out runs in the sixth and once again got a solid outing from starter Ty Boyles.
“We talk about it all the time,” Schofield said. “The team with the two-out RBIs is usually the one to win the game. We were a swing away from scoring zero and we scored four. That’s huge.”
Dayton led 1-0 after the third and got back-to-back two-run, two-out singles from Bell and Nick Senzel in the sixth to make it 5-0.
Boyles (6-8) threw seven innings of five-hit ball, allowing a run in the seventh and striking out seven. Lansing scored twice in the ninth and had the go-ahead run at the plate twice, but a pop to Luis Gonzalez at short ended it.
“Why make it easy?” Schofield asked with a laugh. “I don’t think anything has come easy for us, but we are playing good right now and it is good to see.”
Record comeback:
The Dragons’ come-from-behind win Monday night against Lansing was one for the record books.
The Dragons overcame a 10-3 deficit with eight runs in their final three at-bats for an 11-10 win. The last time Dayton overcame a seven-run deficit and recorded the win was July 22, 2013 in a 10-9 win at Wisconsin.
Hot at home:
Tuesday’s win was Dayton’s eighth in a row at Fifth Third Field. The club’s record home win streak is 10, set July 7-25, 2008 during a run that led to a second-half wild card and a playoff appearance. That 2008 team featured future major league All-Stars Todd Frazier, Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart.
Moving up:
The win Tuesday moved the Dragons out of last in the division for the first time since early in the second half. Dayton passed Fort Wayne, which is a game behind the Dragons.