June 10, 2008 | LISLE, IL Monday night in Lisle saw the DuPage Dragons playing in front of the home crowd for the first time this season. The host fans were not disappointed, as a late rally allowed the Dragons to send the game into extra innings, where they eventually defeated the Danville Dans by a score of 3-2.
The Dragons (2-2) got things started in the bottom of the first, as they were able to take an early 1-0 lead. Coach Mark Viramontes (San Diego) shook up the lineup a little bit, and it seemed to do the trick, as centerfielder Justin Wilson (Oakland) hit further down in the lineup. In his first at bat, Wilson picked up his first hit of the season, and then promptly stole second base. That's when third baseman Phil Wunderlich (Louisville) hit a sharp single through the right side of the infield, allowing Wilson to score the first run of the evening.
The Dragons received great pitching throughout the contest, and it began with starting pitcher Ryan Copeland (Illinois State). Through the first three innings, Copeland was extremely tough, striking out five Dans hitters. He would finish the night with seven strikeouts, but it was in the third inning that he gave up his first run of the game. Dan Kaczrowski doubled with one out in the inning. He was then able to steal third base, his third stolen base of the evening. A Jon Lilly groundout to second allowed Kaczrowski to score, which tied the contest at 1-1.
Despite the quick start, the Dragons weren’t able to put up a ton of runs, as was the early indication. Dans starter Lee Swindle settled down quickly and enjoyed a nice outing, where he didn’t see another runner reach third base after the first inning. His effort was rewarded in the top of the sixth when the Dans finally put up another run. Dans shortstop Jon Lilly reached first on an error. He eventually came around to score on a Dan Evatt double, putting Danville ahead 2-1.
The Dragons got runners on in both the sixth and the seventh innings, but couldn’t push any across. Finally, in the bottom of the 8th, the Dragons’ bats woke up. Left fielder Nick Popescu (Bradley) singled with one out in the inning, and advanced to second when Justin Wilson walked. Phil Wunderlich picked up his second RBI when he sent a shot over the shortstop’s head into left centerfield, scoring Popescu and tying the contest at 2-2.
The Dragons thought they had the game won when right fielder Dave Reynolds (Northern Illinois) hit a 2-0 pitch deep into right centerfield, but not deep enough as the Dans fielder caught the ball on the warning track. The next two hitters went down on a groundout and a fly out respectively, and that sent the contest into extra frames.
Both teams had a few opportunities to take the lead in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth innings, but good pitching and defense kept the score knotted at two going into the bottom of the 13th inning.
It was in the bottom of the 13th that the Dragons finally decided to end it. First baseman Scott Sexton (Oakland) led off the inning with a sharp single up the middle. That was followed up by a four-pitch walk to new right fielder Pete Cappetta (Illinois), giving the Dragons runners on first and second with no outs in the inning. That’s when Nick Popescu hit a shot up the middle to centerfield. Sexton rounded third hard and ran in well ahead of the throw, making the score 3-2 and giving the Dragons the victory.
The win broke the Dragons short two game losing streak, and set them up nicely heading into the final two games of the short homestand. Reliever Dave Reynolds, who started the night in right field, picked up the win on the mound, throwing the final 1.2 innings, striking out two without giving up a hit. Tom Zelasko (Northern Illinois) gave a great effort out of the pen as well, allowing only two hits in his 4.1 innings of work.
The Dragons continue their homestand tomorrow night as they will take on the Dubois Bombers Tuesday, June 10th, at 7:05 pm at the Village of Lisle Sports Complex at Benedictine University. The DuPage Dragons have partnered with St. Scholastica Catholic Parish in Woodridge, and will donate half of the proceeds from ticket sales to the local parish. Please visit the community section on the Dragons website (
www.dupagedragons.com) and go to the fundraising event section to download the ticket order form for the St. Scholastica night. Tickets start at $6 with kids five and under admitted free. Group rates are available by calling the Dragons’ ticket office at 630-241-2255.
