Dragons 5 Wizards 4

Minor League Baseball
Home Team: Dayton Dragons
Visiting Team: Fort Wayne Wizards
Venue: Fifth Third Field (Dayton, Ohio)
Game Time: 7:00 p.m.
Fellow Attendees: Brandi



Official box score

What a perfect night for a ballgame. You really couldn't ask for better weather on April 8. It was in the upper 60s, and I was perfectly comfortable in a T-shirt and sandals. I got there plenty early and enjoyed a cold beverage as the grounds crew got the field ready for the game and the crowd filed in. Brandi, who provided the tickets, missed the first part of the game since she was at work, but she joined me just as the third inning ended.

This was my first Dragons game since Austin Kearns and Adam Dunn were patrolling the outfield back in 2000. Due to their reputations, I had heard of both of them despite the fact they were in Single-A, but I arrived at the ballpark tonight not knowing any of the players. It became apparent, though, that shortstop Todd Frazier was a guy to watch, and that turned out to be right on the mark.

It didn't look good early on. Dragons starter Scott Carroll gave up a run in each of the first four innings, but each situation could have been a lot worse as he managed to work his way out of some jams. The Dragons managed to score a couple of runs in those first four innings (including a solo home run by Frazier), and the bullpen held the Wizards scoreless for the rest of the game, providing an opportunity for Dayton to come back. They did so in the seventh inning, when third baseman Brandon Waring homered with Frazier on to tie it up. The score stayed tied at 4 until the bottom of the ninth (aka "peanut butter jelly time"), when Frazier hit his second home run of the night to send the fans home happy.

Dragons tickets are tough to get, but we're fortunate enough to already have tickets for three more games this year, courtesy of Brandi's work (which is where these came from as well). Fortuntely, though, our seats for further games are in a different location. Oh, don't get me wrong, these seats were great--first row, right behind the visitors' dugout. The people around us, though...the girls to our left, I think, were cheering for any player they found attractive, regardless of which team they were on. The family on our right came complete with a couple of fat little girls who ate from the time they sat down to the time the game ended, and who also had no concept of personal space. I would think the parents might have used the outing as an opportunity to teach some lessons on moderation and social skills, but no such luck. Both groups had the air of people who are there often, as well, so that's why I won't be sorry to move further down the first base line when we go back. And all things considered, it was a very small price to pay for a nice evening at the yard.