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Kyle Henley sends a triple down the right-field line for three RBIs and a 4-0 lead in the Dragons’ 8-2 victory over Great Lakes on Thursday, Aug. 6, at Day Air Ballpark. JEFF GILBERT / CONTRIBUTED Sometimes a baseball team just needs a morale boost. The one the Dayton Dragons got Thursday, Aug. 6, mirrored the well-timed swings on Kyle Henley’s three-run triple and John Michael Faile’s home run to deep left. Those two timely swings, good pitching and the successful pro debut of 2026 second-round draft pick Eric Becker came when the Dragons needed it most in an 8-2 victory over first-place and error-prone Great Lakes at Day Air Ballpark. The Dragons (56-47, 17-20 second half) lost the first two games of the series, including Wednesday night’s soul-killing 13-5 loss. To bounce back against the team the Dragons might face in the first round of the Midwest League playoffs, showed manager Julio Morillo this late-season version of the Dragons might be as resilient as the first-half division-winning version. “Yesterday’s game was tough,” Morillo said. “Seeing the pitching bouncing back and do what it did today against the same lineup, it tells us that they’re not invincible. We can beat these guys if we do pitching wise, and offensively, what we did today.” Stharlin Torres allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings in his Dragons debut Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Day Air Ballpark. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED The Dragons dealt the Loons (56-45, 21-16) the hand that caused the Dragons to fold the night before, starting with starter Stharlin Torres’ Dayton debut. Torres, a 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic, allowed one run on four hits in 4⅓ innings. The run was a long home run by Emil Morales for his third in three games. “His stuff’s really, really advanced for how old he is, and the ability to use changeups on both sides is pretty special at his age,” catcher Ryan McCrystal said. If Torres was nervous, it didn’t show. He pitched a 1-2-3 first inning and didn’t get in trouble until a walk and double in the fifth that ended his night the third time through the lineup. “It was big for him just going out and having a good first inning,” McCrystal said. “No one understands how hard it is to play baseball at high A, and he was a little bit nervous. And it’s cool to see him smile and how much fun he has playing. It’s a contagious thing that he has.” Torres was followed by Jordan Little (1-0), making his second appearance with the Dragons, Victor Diaz and Trent Hodgdon. They combined to allow one run on three hits and one walk over 4⅔ innings. The four pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts. The offense took a little longer to get going and was helped along the way by six Great Lakes errors. Faile singled in the first inning for the first of his three RBIs following Julio Carreras’ double. Then the Dragons loaded the bases with one out but failed to add more runs. The second inning felt like a what-could-have-been inning. Henley, a premier base stealer, walked with one out but was picked off first. Then Becker singled for his first pro hit and the ball got past the center fielder for an error. Henley would have scored. Carreras and McCrystal walked to load the bases, but a Faile ground ball ended the inning. The third bases-loaded occurrence and the third inning were the charm the Dragons needed. Dayton’s Tyson Lewis reaches on a first-inning error Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Day Air Ballpark. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED Tyson Lewis singled and Jacob Friend and Alfredo Alcantara walked to load the bases with no outs. With one out, Henley went the opposite way and shot a triple down the right-field line for a 4-0 lead. “Just trusting what I’ve been working on, trusting my approach, just trying to be patient, get something to hit,” Henley said. “Got in a three-one count, just ready for a fastball and it came. A big part of my game is taking fastballs the other way.” Henley then sprinted home and easily beat the throw on Becker’s ground ball for a 5-0 lead. Becker came around for a 6-0 lead on a Carreras single and an error off the bat of McCrystal. Faile added a solo homer to lead off the sixth and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. “This is my first win at Day Air Ballpark going against a really good team, and for team morale it’s awesome,” Henley said. “We really needed it, and I think that the momentum and all the stuff that we did tonight should be very pivotal for us.” Becker’s debut showed what can be expected of him. The Reds drafted the 21-year-old out of the University of Virginia and opted to send him to Dayton and skip the usual first step of Low A Daytona. He will play second base and be the leadoff hitter going forward. He was 2-for-6 in his debut and put the ball in play every time. “It was good getting out there, playing an official game and having fun and getting to win with the guys,” said Becker, who has been in Arizona the past couple weeks working out and scrimmaging. “I’m confident in my ability. Wherever they were going to send me, I was going to put my best foot forward and help the team win.” Dayton’s Eric Becker steals second base in his pro debut during the Dragons’ five-run third inning Thursday, August 6, 2026, at Day Air Ballpark. JEFF GILBERT/CONTRIBUTED