Washington Walks Off Game 2, Baseball Brilliance Wins Game 1
WASHINGTON, Pa. (July 23) - In game one at Wild Things Park Thursday, the Baseball Brilliance Sox scored the first five runs of the game before holding on to win 5-2 against the Steel City Slammin' Sammies. In game two, Josh Rehwaldt's walkoff blast to centerfield allowed the Wild Things to pull into a tie for first place with Steel City, as they won 2-1.
Baseball Brilliance started the scoring in the matinee contest as Jacob Bockelie hit his sixth home run of the season to drive home his 19th run and make it 1-0 in the second inning. Bockelie then hit a two-run double later in the game to make it 3-0 before he was plated by a Nate Thompson triple that made it 4-0 in the same inning. Andres Rios doubled home a run in the sixth before Joe Campagna's two-run homer in the eighth was the only scoring play for the Slammin' Sammies.
Frank Valentino moved to 1-2 on the bump with the win, pitching five scoreless. He allowed four hits, walked five and struck out six. Cam Hatch earned the first Sox' save by pitching a scoreless ninth. Spencer Bivens took the loss, falling to 2-1 after allowing four runs over five innings.
The second game was the best pitchers' duel of the pod thusfar. With the game scoreless into the sixth, Chris Kwitzer reached and advanced to second on a balk and scored on a double to the right field wall. In the eighth, a fielder's choice scored a run for the Road Warrior Black Sox. That was charged to Wild Things' lefty John Havird, who took a no decision despite a great outing. Havird logged seven and change and allowed the one run on four hits. He fanned six and walked three.
Leading off the ninth, Josh Rehwaldt belted a walk-off homer to center to win the game for the Wild Things, 2-1. It was his first home of the season and it earned Jake Dexter the win after his two scoreless innings of relief. Joe Jones took the loss for the Black Sox, allowing the walk off in what would've been his second inning of work.
Tomorrow, Brandon Phillips, three-time MLB All Star, is scheduled to play again for the Baseball Brilliance Sox tomorrow after an 0-for-5 today. He will play all weekend, at 3 p.m. the next two days and at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Box scores are available for today's game below and cumulative stats are available on the website and tickets are available at washingtonwildthings.com.
