DAYTON (Interstat) — Mason Morris and the Dayton Dragons bullpen combined on a five-hit shutout Friday, Sept. 11, 2026, as Dayton beat the Great Lakes Loons 5-0 at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton, Ohio, to win the Midwest League playoff series two games to one. The Class A playoff game drew 7,422 and took 2 hours, 27 minutes. Dayton improved to 68-63, while Great Lakes finished at 76-55. The Dragons won the final two games of the series after Great Lakes took the opener. Dayton has won the series and moved on.

Dayton broke the game open in the fourth inning. Cam Leiter retired the first two batters before Ryan McCrystal and Johnny Ascanio singled and Tyson Lewis walked. Damian Ruiz lined a double to left field that cleared the bases, and a throwing error on the play allowed Ruiz to take third. Dayton added another run in the inning to take a 4-0 lead. McCrystal added a solo home run in the sixth, finishing 3-for-4 with one RBI. Ruiz went 1-for-3 with three RBIs. Kyle Henley reached on catcher’s interference in the fourth.

Morris started for Dayton and allowed three hits over four innings with no earned runs and six strikeouts. Jimmy Romano followed with two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out one, to earn the win and improve to 7-3. Jordan Little pitched a scoreless inning with one strikeout. Trent Hodgdon worked a scoreless inning, and Victor Diaz allowed two hits over a scoreless inning with one strikeout. The Dayton staff held Great Lakes to five hits and did not allow a run. Dayton pitchers combined for 17 strikes, 48 balls and 17 balls in play.

Leiter took the loss for Great Lakes, falling to 1-1. He worked 3 2/3 innings, allowed three hits, two earned runs and struck out five. Dilan Figueredo pitched two innings and allowed one hit with no earned runs. Cody Morse worked two innings, allowed one hit, one earned run and struck out two. Great Lakes pitchers combined for 13 strikes, 56 balls and 13 balls in play. Dayton grounded into two double plays.

Great Lakes had five hits. Emil Morales singled twice, including a line drive in the first and another in the eighth. Charles Davalan, Jaron Elkins and Eduardo Guerrero also singled. Great Lakes drew four walks but left runners on base and grounded into a double play in the fifth. Great Lakes’ best chances came early. In the second, Jaron Elkins singled and Samuel Munoz walked before a force out and strikeout ended the threat. In the third, Charles Davalan singled and Eduardo Quintero walked, but a lineout and force out kept the Loons off the board. Dayton had six hits, with McCrystal leading the way. Ascanio, Lewis and Ruiz contributed key plate appearances in the fourth. Kien Vu and John Michael Faile each grounded into a double play for Dayton.

The Dragons won the series after dropping Game 1. Great Lakes had won Game 1 6-0 on Sept. 8 before Dayton won Game 2 3-1 on Sept. 10. The decisive Game 3 stayed close until the fourth, when Ruiz’s three-run double gave Dayton control. Morris set the tone with six strikeouts and no earned runs over four innings, and the bullpen finished the shutout. Romano’s two scoreless innings helped bridge the game to Little, Hodgdon and Diaz.

Dayton advanced with the series victory and will next play at Quad Cities River Bandits on Sunday, Sept. 13. The Dragons will then host Quad Cities on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Great Lakes’ season ended with the loss. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Great Lakes Loons 5, Dayton Dragons 4. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Great Lakes with a 56.4 percent probability to win.