Washington Pitchers Struggle in Lopsided Loss to Windy City Sunday in Series Finale
WASHINGTON, Pa. (AUG. 12) — The Wild Things couldn’t complete a three-game sweep of the Windy City ThunderBolts Sunday evening, falling 13-2 and giving up 20 hits in the series finale at Wild Things Park.
With Washington’s loss and the Joliet Slammers’ 6-0 win over Schaumburg earlier in the day, the Wild Things (44-34) are now back in a tie for first place in the Frontier League East Division.
It took Windy City (33-46) just three batters to draw first blood. With one out, second baseman Tim Zier moved from first to third on an errant pick-off attempt by Washington starting pitcher Chase Cunningham. Right fielder Axel Johnson then drove Zier home with a single to put the ThunderBolts ahead.
Johnson would come through again in his next at-bat. With one out in the top of the third, he drove in shortstop Omar Obregon with a single to make it 2-0. Johnson came around to score two batters later on a double by first baseman Derek Bangert. He would finish the evening going 4-6 with two RBI and three runs scored.
Windy City added on with two runs in the fourth. Obregon made it 4-0 when he singled home centerfielder Joe Becht, and subsequently came around to score on a double by Zier to extend the lead to 5-0. Obregon went 4-5 and scored three runs along with a walk.
The Wild Things' offense showed signs of life in the bottom half of the fourth when a two-run single by shortstop Brett Marr cut the deficit to three. That would end up being Washington’s only scoring for the night.
The ThunderBolts started to pull away in the fifth, scoring three runs. With Cunningham out of the game, catcher Larry Balkwill—who ended the night with four hits—greeted reliever BJ Sabol with a solo home run to make it 6-2, and two batters later, designated hitter Matt Brown pushed the lead to six with a two-run shot—the first of his professional career.
Brown struck again in the sixth. With two outs and Johnson on third, he drove a triple over the head of centerfielder James Harris to make it 9-2. He would end up going 2-5 with three RBI and a run, and was one of six Windy City players with at least two hits on the night.
Windy City added three runs in the seventh to make it 12-2, and scored another run in the ninth to finish the scoring.
Cunningham (6-5) took the loss, lasting just four innings while giving up five runs on 10 hits. For Windy City, Jake Welch (6-4) got the win, allowing just two runs on eight hits over six strong frames.
The Wild Things will start a three-game set with the Traverse City Beach Bums on the road starting with a doubleheader Wednesday evening. The first game is scheduled for 5:05. This will begin a six-game road trip, with Washington facing the ThunderBolts for three more games starting Friday night.
