Rosario’s Go-Ahead Blast Propels Picantes to 4-3 Win Over Dragons

EASTLAKE, Ohio – In the second game of a scheduled six-game series, Los Picantes de Lake County (31-28) defeated the Dayton Dragons (18-41) by a final score of 4-3 on Wednesday afternoon at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

Powered by a go-ahead, two-run blast by DH Alfonsin Rosario, MLB Pipeline’s No. 25 Guardians prospect, in the bottom of the seventh inning, Lake County earned its fifth straight victory, securing the team’s longest winning streak of the season.

Los Picantes started the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, when RF Wuilfredo Antunez collected a two-out RBI infield single, allowing Lake County to play from ahead 1-0.

It didn’t take Dayton long to respond, however. In the next half-inning, Dragons LF/RF Ariel Almonte doubled home the game's tying run, evening the score at 1-1.

But in the home half of the second, Lake County C Kevin Rivas logged a two-out RBI single, scoring 3B Juan Benjamin. After two innings, Los Picantes led 2-1.

A couple of innings later, Dayton would cap their scoring for the afternoon with a two-run fourth inning.

A wild pitch by Lake County LHP Jackson Humphries (ND), MLB Pipeline‘s No. 17 Guardians prospect, allowed the game-tying run to score. And just a batter later, Dragons 3B Carter Graham recorded a sacrifice fly, giving Dayton its first lead of the game at 3-2.

Following scoreless fifth and sixth innings, Rosario hit his go-ahead, two-run home run to reclaim the lead for Los Picantes for good.

Rosario’s 10^th home run of the season eventually proved to be the game-winner. With the blast, he became just the third player in the Midwest League this season to reach the double-digit home run mark, joining West Michigan 1B/C Josue Briceño (13 homers), MLB Pipeline’s No. 4 Tigers and No. 77 MLB prospect, and Wisconsin OF/SS Eduardo Garcia (10 homers).

Lake County RHP Jack Jasiak (S, 4) worked a pair of scoreless innings out of the Picantes bullpen in the eighth and ninth to ensure the 4-3 Lake County victory. The right-hander allowed one hit and struck out four Dragons en route to his fourth save of the season.

The third game of this week’s scheduled six-game series between the Captains and Dragons is scheduled for Thursday night at 7 p.m. It will be Dawg Night at the ballpark, where Lake County will pay special tribute to Corgis. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- With his go-ahead, two-run home run on Wednesday, OF Alfonsin Rosario now has 10 home runs through Lake County’s first 59 games this season. The 20-year-old is the first Captain with double-digit home runs through Lake County’s first 59 games of a season since INF/OF Jhonkensy Noel in 2022 (17 homers).

- With two scoreless innings of relief on Wednesday, RHP Jack Jasiak now owns a 1.17 ERA in his first 17 relief appearances this season. This mark is tied for eighth among MiLB pitchers with at least 30 innings pitched this year.

- LHP Jackson Humphries allowed just two hits across a season-high five innings of work on Wednesday. The 20-year-old has held opposing hitters to a .168 batting average this season, which ranks third among High-A pitchers with at least 45 innings pitched this season.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.