Washington Takes Game One Behind Four-Run Fifth
WASHINGTON, Pa. (September 1) - The Wild Things scored four times in the fifth to take a lead for good in the first of two games Wednesday at Wild Things Park, helping to earn Ryan Hennen his 10th win of the year after he lowered his league-leading ERA to 2.11 with five strong innings in his start. Washington won the series opener 4-2.
A Hennen throwing error trying to catch a runner off third in the third of game one allowed the Boulders to strike first and make it 1-0. Washington eventually responded with a game-tying single in the fourth by Trevor Casanova to knot things at one apiece.
The Wild Things scored the four runs in the fifth. Andrew Czech walked to start the inning and Cam Phelts ran for him, stole second and was sacrificed to third before scoring on a broken-bat flare to right center by Andrew Sohn, making it 2-1. The bases were full when Grant Heyman was hit by a pitch to make it 3-1 before Casanova hit a two-run single to make it 5-1. Washington loaded the bases again but couldn't get anymore.
The inning allowed Washington to put Hennen in line for the win. The lefty went five innings and allowed three hits and the unearned run with five strikeouts. Dan Kubiuk allowed his first run of the year in the sixth on an RBI double by New York's Kevonte Mitchell. Zach Strecker got tagged for a run on two hits before earning his 20th save of the year in the seventh inning.
The win got Washington to one game back of the Northeast Division lead.
