DAYTON, Ohio -- Several hot bats propelled the Fort Wayne TinCaps to a dominating 11-2 series finale win over the Dayton Dragons (Cincinnati Reds affiliate) on Sunday afternoon at Day Air Ballpark.

The TinCaps (18-23) jumped out to an early lead thanks to the first home run of the year for third baseman Kelvin Melean. It was a three-run shot in the top of the second, plating second baseman Ethan Skender and first baseman Luis Almanzar. The homer was part of a four-hit afternoon for Melean, who finished a double shy of the cycle.

Dayton's offense in the early goings came entirely from center fielder
Michael Siani. The No. 5 prospect in the Reds organization, according to MLB.com, belted two solo home runs to right field in the second and fourth innings, respectively. Those were just Siani's second and third home runs of the season.

The 'Caps added to their lead with a single run in each of the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. In the fifth, catcher Jonny Homza lined an RBI-single into center field to bring Melean home. An inning later, shortstop Justin Lopez rolled one through the middle, allowing right fielder Agustin Ruiz to come in after he was hit by a pitch to open the frame. In the seventh, after Homza doubled to lead off the inning, Ruiz later brought him in with a sacrifice fly.

Fort Wayne then erupted for five more runs in the ninth. That included a two-run double Ruiz, an RBI-single by Skender, and a two-run triple by Melean. Ruiz now has 30 RBIs this season to rank tied for third most in High-A Central.

Homza and Melean each collected four hits in the game. Homza ripped three singles and a double, while Melean finished with the home run, the triple, and two singles. The performance marked the first two four-hit games for a TinCap in 2021. Homza ranks seventh in the circuit in on-base percentage at .390.


TinCaps starting pitcher Ethan Elliott threw four innings on Sunday afternoon, striking out five. Elliott leads the league in strikeouts for the season with 62, while ranking second in ERA at 2.17. The trio of Felix Minjarez, Cody Tyler, and Brandon Komar finished the job, firing five shutout innings of relief.

Next Game: Tuesday, June 22 @ South Bend (7:05 p.m.)