DAYTON, Ohio — The Dragons are on the cusp of their first league championship in franchise history, but they will need back-to-back wins at Day Air Ballpark to bring the trophy home.
Manager Julio Morillo, in his first season leading the Dragons after playing for the team in 2014-15, saw Dayton drop Game 1 of the Midwest League Championship Series in Davenport, Iowa, to the Quad Cities River Bandits 4-0 on Sunday, Sept. 13.
Ty Doucette led Dayton by going 2-4 with a double in the eighth inning. The Dragons brought the tying run to the plate when they loaded the bases with one out in the eigth, but second baseman Johnny Ascanio grounded into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
The MWL Championship Series will be played in Dayton for the first time when the Dragons return home Tuesday, Sept. 15, to host Quad Cities. The Dragons lost the season series 5-1 to the River Bandits when the two teams met in Dayton in mid-August.
Game 2 — Tuesday, Sept. 15
Postgame — Quad Cities 2, Dayton 1
Box score: https://www.milb.com/gameday/river-bandits-vs-dragons/2026/09/15/850976/final
Dayton Dragons recap: https://www.mlb.com/milb/dayton/news/bandits-edge-dragons-2-1-on-tuesday-to-capture-midwest-league-title
Quad Cities recap: https://www.mlb.com/milb/quad-cities/news/river-bandits-sweep-to-ninth-midwest-league-title-9-15-26
Live — In-game
End of the third inning, 0-0: The Dragons loaded the bases like they did twice in Game 1, this time with no out.
But like they did in Game 1, they stranded their base runners.
Doucette and Faile struck out while McCrystal grounded into a 4-3 play to end the Dayton rally.
Middle of the third inning, 0-0: McCoy forced a critical 1-4-3 double play to end another Quad Cities rally.
The River Bandits have had a runner reach scoring each of the first three innings.
Pregame
Essential resources
Quad Cities River Bandits game notes: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/gcfhhlodromgah7gsvgq.pdf
Dayton Dragons game notes: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/fxv1nhnq8ylrqzfksrww.pdf
Dayton Dragons starting lineup: https://img.mlbstatic.com/milb-images/image/upload/milb/m8yemgod4ho6gi96fg1p.png
Box score via Minor League Baseball: https://www.milb.com/gameday/river-bandits-vs-dragons/2026/09/15/850976/preview
Benge Notes
Coaches office
Morillo is the 13th manager in team history. In his first season, he guided the Dragons to a 39-27 first-half record that clinched their first Midwest League East Division title to start the season since 2007.
Starting pitchers
Quad Cities: LHP David Shields (11-6, 4.01 ERA, 139 K, 116 2/3 IP).
- Shields was selected in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is 20 years old.
- The lefty is 1-0 in two starts across eight innings against the Dragons this season. In those innings Shields allowed 12 hits, six earned runs and two home runs while striking out 11.
Dayton: LHP Kyle McCoy (4-7, 5.20 ERA, 91 K, 90 IP).
- McCoy, 22, was chosen in the eighth round of the 2025 draft from the University of Maryland.
Dragons out-hit Quad Cities in Game 1, but can they continue winning at home against a stout opposing bullpen?
The River Bandits posted a graphic on X noting their bullpen playoff ERA, which is an impressive 1.25.
Seven pitchers — Kamden Edge, L.P. Langevin, Jordan Woods, Emmanuel Reyes, Dash Albus, Yimi Presinal and Ethan McElvain — are pictured in the graphic.
Edge, Woods and Langevin combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out seven Dragons and scattering four hits in Game 1. Dayton had opportunities with the bases loaded, but was stifled at the plate.
Leadoff Lebron
Justin Lebron has had a memorable debut for the Dragons in the second half of the season.
The No. 18 overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, Lebron burst onto the scene and hit eight home runs in the first 23 games of his professional career. He was tied for first in the Midwest League in home runs after debuting on Aug. 11. tied for second in the league in runs and tied for fourth in extra-base hits.
In 19 games this season batting leadoff, Lebron has six hits and two home runs in 34 at-bats. When batting first, he has 73 at-bats and 22 hits including six homers.
Doucette hitting No. 2
Doucette has the most hits by a Dragon in the MWLCS, and he’ll have a chance to start a rally behind Lebron on Tuesday night.
The first baseman had a hit in all 16 games to finish the regular season. Doucette carried that streak into the playoffs and has an active 20-game hit streak. He has two home runs in the past 14 games.
Franchise home run leader behind the plate
John Michael Faile broke the Dragons franchise home run record with No. 31 of his career on Saturday, Sept. 5, against West Michigan. The ball landed just beyond the right-center field wall the the grass in Lawn D.
Faile will catch McCoy tonight against the River Bandits. Ryan McCrystal, who caught in Game 1, is playing designated hitter and cleaning up as the Dragons return home. The pair combined for 20 home runs in the regular season.
Fan favorite Vu could be an X-factor
Left fielder Kien Vu, hitting No. 5 in the Dragons lineup, had a memorable steal of home during the 2026 season’s first half which Dayton won the Midwest League East Division by one game.
Vu homered 20 times this season across High-A Dayton and the Double-A Chattanooga Lookouts. Fifteen of those blasts came as a member of the Dragons.
Vu had a .393 on-base percentage in the month of September as the regular season came to a close. During the playoffs through four games, Vu is hitting an average of .067 and reaching base at a .176 rate.
Quad Cities will have a left-hander on the mound in Dayton tonight. Vu is hitting high in the order and behind left-handed McCrystal.
From Game 1
Box score: https://www.milb.com/gameday/dragons-vs-river-bandits/2026/09/13/850977/final/summary/all
Dayton Dragons recap: https://www.mlb.com/milb/dayton/news/river-bandits-shutout-dragons-on-sunday-night-championship-series-moves-to-dayton-tuesday
Quad Cities River Bandits recap: https://www.milb.com/quad-cities/news/river-bandits-shut-out-dragons-in-game-one-of-championship-series-9-13-26?partnerID=web_article-share
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