The Redlegs lost a heartbreaker on Tuesday night in a back and forth contest against the Dayton Tigers. The Tigers would eventually outlast the Redlegs and win 8-7. On a positive note, this win gave the Tigers their first franchise victory after starting the season 0-10.
The Tigers jumped out early on Redleg starter Matt Redman, scoring 3 times in the 1st inning. But the Redlegs answered immediately in the bottom half scoring 3 runs of their own. Jacob Robinson and Matt Mattice singled consecutively to start the inning and both came in on Brad Clark’s first homerun of the season. Howard then doubled and later scored on double off the bat of Eric Williams. But the Tigers scored 2 more in the 2nd inning taking a 5-4 lead and would increase that to 6-4 in the top of the 3rd. The Tigers had the bases loaded with 1 out but Brandon Longacre relieved Redman and was able to get out of the jam inducing a fly out and a strikeout to end the inning. The Redleg offense then rallied to tie the game as Benthal started the inning off with a single and newcomer Brandon Longacre drove him in with a double. Longacre later scored a Kevin Campbell doubled which tied the game at 6. The Redlegs took the lead in the 4th inning after Howard laced another double down the line and Benthal drove him in with a single giving the Redlegs a 7-6 advantage.
Longacre continued to deal in his MVABL debut on the mound, getting 4 strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work. But the Tigers finally got to Longacre in the top of the 6th pushing 1 run across to tie the game at 7. The Redlegs then turned to Brad Clark in the 7th, after he pitched a complete game just 3 days prior. Clark quickly recorded two outs but some timely 2 out hitting yielded the go ahead run, putting the pressure on the home team going into the bottom of the 7th. But the Redlegs would go out quietly with a fly out, strikeout, and groundout to end the game.
Highlights: Brad Clark 2-3, HR, 3RBI. Brandon Howard 2-4 2 2B. Steve Benthal 2-4, RBI. Brandon Longacre 2-4, RBI.
Boxscore
| J Robinson | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| M Mattice | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| B Clark | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| B Howard | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| S Benthal | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| B Longacre | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| E Williams | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| K Campbell | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| J Bradley | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2B: Howard 2; Longacre; Williams; Campbell
HR: Clark
| M Redman | 2.33 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| B Longacre | 3.67 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| B Clark (L) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |