Behind Four Home Runs, Wild Things Take Series Opener
SCHAUMBURG, Illinois – The Washington Wild Things (20-16) defeated the Schaumburg Boomers (27-10) 7-4 in the opener of the three-game, weekend series Friday night.
Cameron Stanton (1-1) earned his first win in his second start in a Wild Things’ uniform after tossing five innings, allowing four runs on five hits. Stanton struck out two. He started the game by setting the first six batters down in order, before allowing a single to lead off the third inning. Zach Strecker pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save, his eighth, after a set-up job by Davis Adkins and two, scoreless innings from Mark Smyth.
The Wild Things got on the board quickly with back-to-back home runs, a two-run homer from left fielder Bralin Jackson followed by a solo shot for first baseman Kane Sweeney, putting Washington up 3-0 in their first turn at-bat. With the home run, Sweeney extended his on-base streak to 32 games and his hitting streak to 15 games. In the second, shortstop Trevin Sonnier was able to add one more as he plated catcher Kyle Pollock on a single, after Pollock had reached on a lead-off double, extending the lead to 4-0.
The Boomers started their comeback in the third inning. First baseman Ryan O’Malley led off the inning with a single, and then was brought around to score on a triple from right fielder Sean Godfrey. Stanton was able to get the next two batters out to strand Godfrey at third and preserve the 4-1 Wild Things lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Schaumburg got two more back on a double and a Washington error. Both teams added a run in the fifth with an RBI single from Wild Things’ right fielder Hector Roa in the top and an RBI double by shortstop Josh Gardner in the bottom half. Kyle Pollock hit his third home run of the season to lead off the top of the sixth inning, extending Washington’s lead. It was 6-4 heading to the seventh. This score held until Roa struck again with a solo home run in the top of the ninth.
The Wild Things are back in action as they look to win the series Saturday, June 23, with first pitch slated for 7:00 p.m. EST.
