With Dayton leading 4-0 in the bottom of the fifth and runners on first and third with no outs, Trammell roped a screamer into the left-center field gap.
“The center fielder is one of my good friends, Josh Lowe, and I saw he was playing in. Every ball I hit in the outfield is a triple, until they hold me to a double, Trammell said. “So I just tried to get around the bases as fast as possible … and make something happen for the team.”
Thanks to an errant throw that bounced off the screen in front of the Dragons’ dugout, Trammell turned his triple into a run, beating a close throw with a head-first slide to put Dayton up 7-0.
“I just trusted my instincts when the ball went by,” Trammell said.
Trammell wasn’t done.
In the next inning, the 20-year-old hit his 12th homer, a 388-foot shot into right-center field, putting the Dragons up by 11 and giving him five RBIs.
Game changer: Eight Dragons collected hits. Five had multiple knocks. Dayton didn't let Hot Rods starter Kenny Rosenberg get comfortable, scoring three runs in the second, using back-to-back doubles from Malik Collymore and Cassidy Brown to jump ahead.
Taylor Sparks’ third homer of the year came in the form of a 416-foot blast to center field.
Jose Siri was 1-for-3 with an RBI. He scored two runs, adding to his MWL-leading total (85).
Alex Webb threw three scoreless innings out of the bullpen, allowing one hit, while striking out three.
Dragons tales: This season marks the most innings starter Tony Santillan's (7-7, 3.41 ERA) has logged in professional ball by a mile. Last season, the 20-year-old threw 69.1 innings covering 15 starts between rookie ball and Dayton. He currently sits at 118.2 innings with two weeks to go in the regular season, where he could potentially make two more starts.
Santillan was stellar on a pitch count, throwing five innings of one-hit ball while striking out four. His restricted workload didn’t play a factor.
“I’m just going to stay out there as long as I possibly can, and keep the same mindset and attack hitters,” Santillan said.
With a probable postseason start also looming, the Dragons want to ensure the right-hander is ready for September.
“We need to take care of him and keep him fresh, and make him finish strong during the season, that’s why there was the pitch count for today,” manager Luis Bolivar said.
On deck: Chris Pike (4-4, 4.11 ERA) starts against Dayton's Andrew Jordan (5-8, 4.90) tonight at Fifth Third Field. First pitch is 7.
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