June 11, 2008 | LISLE, IL The 2008 DuPage Dragons certainly have a flair for the dramatic. For the third straight night, the Dragons used an 8th inning rally to propel them to victory as they were able to defeat the Dubois Bombers by a score of 3-2 Wednesday in Lisle. The victory gave the Dragons a sweep of the Bombers and earned them a perfect record on their three game homestand.
Unlike their first two games of the homestand, the Dragons didn’t score a run in the first inning. They decided to score in the second inning instead. After giving up a run in the top half of the inning, the Dragons played catch-up in a hurry. Second baseman Jordan Tokarz (Eastern Illinois) led off the inning with a single up the middle and promptly stole second base two pitches later. On the attempt, the throw skipped by the shortstop covering the base, allowing Tokarz to advance and giving the Dragons a runner on third base with no outs in the inning. Left fielder Pete Capetta (Illinois) grounded out two pitches later, but Tokarz scored on the play, tying the score at 1 apiece.
The score remained tied through five complete, as the Dragons found themselves locked in yet another pitcher’s duel. DuPage starter Brad Riegler (Illinois-Chicago) only lasted four innings, but he held Dubois to only two hits while striking out three in his outing. Reliever Eric Wyman (Illinois-Chicago) came in to pitch in the fifth and had a relatively easy first inning of relief. It was in the sixth that he ran into a little trouble.
After giving up a walk to Dubois centerfielder Eric Hanlon to start the inning, Wyman through a wild pitch, allowing Hanlon to reach second. He promptly stole third, and the Bombers were in business with no outs in the inning. Wyman was temporarily saved by shortstop Kevin Tokarski (Illinois State) when he fielded the ensuing ground ball and threw home to catch the runner Hanlon for the first out of the inning. A short instance later, Wyman overthrew first base on a pickoff attempt, and the throw sailed out of play, allowing the runner to advance. Wyman then proceeded to throw his second wild pitch and the Bombers again had a runner on third, this time with one out in the inning. This time, the runner was able to score on a Garrett Segraves sacrifice fly, giving Dubois a 2-1 lead.
Bombers starter Travis Lamar was outstanding in his seven plus innings of work. He was replaced in the eighth after giving up a leadoff single and a sacrifice bunt. Reliever Matt Antos only lasted one hitter, giving up a costly walk to Kevin Tokarski. Third baseman Phil Wunderlich (Louisville) greeted the new Bombers reliever with a single, loading the bases for the Dragons with only one out in the inning. With rightfielder Nick Popescu (Bradley) on third, poised to score the tying run for the second time this week, catcher Matt Behren (Northern Illinois) stepped to plate and hit a game-tying single through the right side of the infield. The Dragons completed the rally by scoring on the next at-bat. First baseman Dave Reynolds (Northern Illinois) hit a sinking fly ball into right field. The ball was caught by outfielder Jared Baehl, who quickly threw the ball home. Tokarski, attempting to score from third on the fly ball, slid in safely when Bombers catcher Eddie Cassidy struggled to handle the throw, and the Dragons had a 3-2 lead.
Dragons reliever Tom Zelasko (Northern Illinois), who came into the game in the seventh inning, gave up a leadoff single to Zach Rowles. Catcher Matt Behren caught him stealing, but Zelasko gave up another single which spelled the end of his night. For the second time in the homestand, Dave Reynolds came in as a reliever after starting the game in the field. After hitting the first batter he faced, Reynolds got the next hitter to groundout for the second out of the inning. He then got pinch hitter Daniel Nichols to strike out looking, ending the game and giving the Dragons a three game win streak, all come-from-behind victories.
Tom Zelasko picked up the victory on the mound, his first of the season, with Reynolds recording his first save. Matt Behren recorded three hits on the evening, and went 6-for-11 during the homestand. The Dragons pitching staff has a 1.50 ERA during the three-game win streak. The victory improved the Dragons’ record to 4-2 on the year.
The DuPage Dragons will now embark on their second road trip of the season. Their next game is scheduled for this Friday, June 13th, against the Springfield Sliders. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm. The Dragons next home game is Wednesday, June 18th, at 7:05 pm at the Lisle Sports Complex at Benedictine University. 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. |
