Équipe Québec Scores Early and Takes Middle Game
WASHINGTON, Pa. (August 28) - The pivotal weekend series in Washington between the Wild Things and Équipe Québec is now even after the visitors, who have now won 12 of 13 after having their 11-game win streak snapped in the series opener, took the middle game 8-5 despite the Wild Things' rattling off five in the home ninth and bringing the tying run to the plate in the frame after entering it down 8-0.
Équipe Québec scored three times in the first inning to take an early lead within the first five batters of the contest. After the visitors loaded the bases with the help of a pair of free passes, cleanup man Raphael Gladu doubled to the opposite field to plate the first two runs of the game. Jeffry Parra, who was hit by a pitch and went to third on that two-bagger, scored on a sacrifice fly by Connor Panas. Québec added three in the bottom of the third on Ruben Castro's three-run homer to left that just got out. It was his sixth home run of the campaign.
The hot offense got singular runs in each of their next two trips as well against Washington starter Keven Pimentel, who was tagged with eight runs on nine hits in his five innings of work. He suffered his seventh loss of the season, falling to 7-7. Équipe Québec got a solo homer from David Glaude, his 12th of the year, in the fourth and scored on a Castro RBI single in the fifth to make it 8-0.
Henry Omana, who started the game for Équipe Québec, took a no-hitter through 6.1 innings before Andrew Czech beat the shift for a single to break up the bid. Omana, who walked six and struck out nine, got his first Frontier League victory, going to 1-0 by not allowing a run in seven innings of work.
Washington ended up getting five in the bottom of the ninth against James Bradwell with a sac fly from Andrew Czech, an RBI single by Cody Young, an RBI double by Nick Ward and RBI base hits by Scotty Dubrule and Bralin Jackson, but the comeback effort, which saw the tying run get to the plate, ended up being just a bit too little, too late.
The two lock horns in an important rubber game tomorrow at Wild Things Park. Washington sits one game back of the Northeast Division lead with Sussex County dropping its middle game to Tri-City tonight in a home run derby. Équipe Québec is up by a half of a game in the Atlantic Division.
