Washington Uses Three-Run Eighth, Solid Pitching To Clinch Series Win
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - The Washington Wild Things (38-30) won despite their starter pitching just four innings, as they clinched a series win against the Traverse City Beach Bums (24-43), with a 4-1 win Wednesday night.
Left-hander Brian O’Keefe exited the game after throwing four scoreless innings on the hill. He struck out four, gave up three hits and walked two in the outing. He left with what team trainer Brittany Miller called a “strained bicep.” There is no timetable for the injury, according to Miller, who said O’Keefe would be evaluated further following the game.
He was relieved by Trevor Bradley, who tossed three scoreless innings and only allowed one hit, before he was relieved by Davis Adkins in the eighth. Adkins got two outs and surrendered a run before Zach Strecker came on to close things out, tossing 1.1 innings of scoreless baseball for his 16th save.
The scoring started in the third inning, as Washington struck first in the contest, getting a run-scoring single from centerfielder Rashad Brown that plated Kenny Peoples-Walls with two outs. Peoples-Walls, who played third base for the second night in a row, had singled to start the inning.
The teams would trade zeroes until the eighth, when Washington scored three times as second baseman Kyle Reese hit his fourth home run of the year to make it 2-0 Wild Things. That would be followed by a two-run double by designated hitter Bralin Jackson several batters later that scored first baseman Kane Sweeney and Brown.
The Beach Bums got their lone run in the home eighth on a two-base sacrifice fly off the bat of shortstop Will Kengor. Left fielder James Harris made the catch but ran into the wall in the process.
Bradley got the win, while Traverse City starter Brian Bayliss got the loss after throwing 7.2 innings of three-run ball.
The Wild Things look for the sweep tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. as Chase Cunningham takes the hill.
