By Cole Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Cole Swafford | CSwaff Shots
DAYTON, OH — The Dayton Dragons opened the doors to Day Air Ballpark for the first time in 2026 on Tuesday night, welcoming 8,249 fans downtown for the club’s 26th home opening night.
Unfortunately for the home crowd, the Lake County Captains spoiled the celebration.
Lake County defeated Dayton 6-2 behind a strong pitching performance and timely offense, holding the Dragons scoreless through the first seven innings before Dayton finally broke through in the ninth.
The Captains struck first in the second inning, taking an early 1-0 lead against Dayton starter Reynardo Cruz. Lake County added two more runs in the fourth and another two in the sixth, gradually building a 5-0 advantage.
Cruz, making his High-A debut, worked four innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out five and walking three.
The Dragons had one of their best opportunities of the night in the third inning.
Carter Graham and Kien Vu opened the frame with consecutive singles, and Carlos Sanchez followed with a walk to load the bases with nobody out. Lake County starter Franklin Gómez managed to escape the jam, however, striking out Alfredo Duno before Ryan McCrystal grounded into a double play to end the inning.
Gómez kept Dayton off the scoreboard for four innings, striking out seven, before Michael Kennedy took over and continued the shutout through the seventh.
While Dayton’s offense struggled to bring runners home, the Dragons’ pitching kept them within striking distance. Jacob Edwards followed Cruz with four innings of relief, striking out eight while allowing just two hits and one walk.
Dayton finally broke through in the ninth.
Graham led off with his third hit of the night, and Vu followed with his second. Vu’s single, combined with a two-base fielding error in right field, allowed Graham to score from first and put Dayton on the board.
Vu later scored on a groundout by Johnny Ascanio, cutting Lake County’s lead to 6-2.
The Dragons continued to threaten, with Ryan McCrystal reaching on a single and Alfredo Alcantara drawing a walk. That brought the potential tying run to the on-deck circle, but Lake County closed the door when Yerlin Confidan flew out to center field.
Graham finished the night 3-for-4, leading Dayton’s nine-hit attack. Vu added two hits and scored a run, while Duno contributed a double and a walk.
Despite collecting three more hits than Lake County, Dayton struggled to turn its opportunities into runs. The Dragons went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left nine runners on base.
Lake County finished with six hits and six runs, taking advantage of its opportunities throughout the night.
The loss dropped Dayton to 1-2 on the young season, while the Captains improved to 2-2.
For the Dragons, Tuesday night was ultimately a frustrating start to their home schedule. The crowd, the atmosphere and the anticipation were all there for the 2026 home opener, but Lake County’s pitching and timely hitting kept Dayton from giving the home fans the finish they were hoping for.
The Dragons and Captains will continue their six-game series Wednesday night at Day Air Ballpark.
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