Washington Sweeps Florence by Winning After Being Down 4-0 Late
WASHINGTON, Pa. (May 27) - The Washington Wild Things capitalized on multiple pitching changes in the seventh and eighth innings in their comeback victory over Florence 5-4. The Wild Things were down 4-0 and collected just one hit until the sixth inning before scoring two runs in the seventh and three runs in the eighth. The win secured Washington’s first series sweep of 2018.
Washington (9-6) looked unsteady in the top of the first as the defense committed three errors and starting pitcher Aaron Burns walked three batters in the half inning. Florence left fielder Brandon Pugh reached on a walk to start the contest and then was brought in on a Connor Crane double to left field. Crane scored on the same play due to two errors committed by Washington center fielder James Harris and shortstop Justin Bohn, giving Florence a 2-0 lead.
The Freedom (8-7) added an additional run three batters later when first baseman Xavier Turner brought in center fielder Andre Mercurio on a fielder’s choice, making the score 3-0.
Both offenses went quiet after that point, combining for just four hits and no runs until the sixth inning. No Wild Things’ batter reached base until the bottom of the fourth inning when left fielder Roman Collins roped a double off the left field fence.
Florence then extended its lead to 4-0 in the top of the sixth inning when shortstop Austin Wobrock drove in Nick Crouse on a single to left field. Wobrock finished his afternoon 3-4 with three singles and an RBI in the matchup.
Florence pulled starter Zach Kirby out of the game to start the bottom of the seventh and brought Cody Gray in for relief. Kirby threw six innings and allowed just one hit, one walk and struck out five in his no decision.
The Wild Things offense made quick work of Gray, scoring two runs on three hits in the seventh. Pollock launched his fifth home run of 2018 in the frame as he sent a solo shot over the left field fence to make it a 4-1 contest. Two at-bats later, first baseman Reydel Medina brought in right fielder Hector Roa on an RBI single to center field, making it a 4-2 deficit for Washington. Gray would throw just one inning for Florence after allowing the two Washington runs in the seventh.
Florence went to the bullpen once again in the eighth, using Marty Anderson for a third of the inning and Johnathon Tripp for the final two thirds. Anderson walked center fielder James Harris to start the eighth and then gave up a single to Carter McEachern in the next at-bat. Left fielder Roman Collins tied the game up just three pitches later on a two-RBI triple to right center to tie the game at four. Tripp entered the game after the Collins two-RBI triple and immediately allowed Pollock to slap an RBI double to center field to give Washington the 5-4 lead.
Reliever Sam Mersing entered the game for Washington in the ninth and immediately hit Pugh with a pitch to put the tying run on first base. Mersing struck out Crane the next at-bat and then Pugh was caught stealing by Pollock after sliding over second base for the second out. Mersing secured his first save of 2018 and as a professional after getting Jose Brizuela to ground out to end the game.
Davis Adkins (2-1) earned his second win of the season in his relief appearance for Washington. He threw two innings and struck out two. Anderson (2-1) was credited with the loss for Florence. He allowed three runs (all earned) while giving up two hits and one walk in a third of an inning pitched.
Washington (9-6) will now start a six-game road trip in Joliet that begins Tuesday night, while Florence (8-7) will head to Evansville on Wednesday for a double header against the Otters.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Gateway Grizzlies 2 def. Schaumburg Boomers 1
Gateway’s Dakota Smith was dominant on the mound, earning the win after allowing just one run on four hits over eight innings pitched as the Grizzlies edged the Schaumburg Boomers 2-1 Sunday afternoon. Gateway held a 1-0 advantage until the eighth inning where it added a run of insurance that proved to be valuable as Shaumburg plated its lone run in its ensuing at bat. That was as far as the comeback attempt would go as the Grizzlies’ Josh Glick closed the door for the save. Kit Fowler took the loss for the Boomers after tossing 7.1 innings, allowing two runs on six hits and four strikeouts. Catcher Jhonniel Alvarez and designated hitter Blake Alvarez drove in the two Gateway runs, while Josh Gardiner had the lone Schaumburg RBI. The Grizzlies (7-8) will start a three-game set against the River City Rascals starting Tuesday night, and the Boomers (5-10) will be back in action Wednesday evening against the Windy City ThunderBolts.
Southern Illinois Miners 7 def. Joliet Slammers 5 (11 innings)
Southern Illinois plated one run in the ninth inning to take its game against Joliet to extra innings before scoring two runs in the top of the 11th inning to edge the Slammers 7-5. Miners’ center fielder Corey Dempster drove in two runs and scored three more in the victory, while left fielder Romeo Cortina and catcher Ben Moore each produced three-hit afternoons. Ryan Askew notched the win, pitching two hitless, scoreless innings for the Miners. For the Slammers, left fielder Lee-Jun Kalawaia reached base in five of his six plate appearances, walking four times, driving in a run and scoring two more. Shortstop Danny Zardon added three hits and first baseman Justin Garcia drove in two for Joliet. Southern Illinois (8-7) will host the Normal CornBelters for a three-game series starting Tuesday evening, while Joliet will welcome the Washington Wild Things.
Traverse City Beach Bums 2 def. Evansville Otters 1 (12 innings)
The Beach Bums and Otters needed three extra frames to decide a winner, with Traverse City pulling off the walk off victory in the bottom of the 12th inning. Evansville struck first in the second inning, but Traverse City tied it back up at one after scoring a run in the fourth. Each team’s pitching staff dominated down the stretch, with neither letting up a run until the bottom of the 12th. John Michael Knighton picked up the win in relief after throwing three scoreless innings. Designated hitter Arby Fields and right fielder Isaac Benard drove in the two runs for the Beach Bums, while first baseman Brandon Dulin went 3-5 and knocked in the Otters’ lone run. Evansville will start a three-game set with Florence this Tuesday evening, and Traverse City will travel to Avon, Ohio to take on the Lake Erie Crushers Tuesday night as well.
Normal CornBelters 8 def. Windy City ThunderBolts 0
Normal’s Jacinto Garcia helped lead a pitching staff that shut out the Windy City offense in an 8-0 victory Sunday night. Garcia tossed five innings of two-hit ball before the bullpen took over and held the ThunderBolts scoreless. Eight of nine CornBelter starters recorded hits, with shortstop Santiago Chirino and catcher Tanner Lubach each recording two RBI in the decision. The ThunderBolts totaled five hits on the night from five different players. Normal will face off against Southern Illinois for the first game of the three-game series Tuesday night, while Windy City will be off until Wednesday, where they will play the first game of the series against Schaumburg.
Lake Erie Crushers 5 def. River City Rascals 4
A five-run fourth inning proved to be the difference for Lake Erie as it held off River City late in a 5-4 win Sunday night. After plating five runs in the inning, River City got a run across in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to 5-1. The Rascals continued to battle into the eighth inning, scratching across three runs to bring them within a run, but the Crushers were able to close the door and hold off the comeback attempt. Nick Deeg got the win on the mound after throwing 6.1 innings of one-hit ball. Justin Sinbaldi grabbed a save after pitching a scoreless ninth. Lake Erie got RBIs from four different batters, while a majority of the production for River City came off the bat of Clint Freeman, who hit his second home run of the year and drove in two runs. The Crushers will take on the Beach Bums for the first game of three this Tuesday evening, while the Rascals will look to bounce back against the Gateway Grizzlies Tuesday night.
