Showalter's CG SO Leads Wild Things to Finale Victory
JOLIET, Il. (June 22) – Thursday’s series finale was a pitcher’s duel that would’ve made people in Weehawken, New Jersey, happy in the series finale at Duly Health and Care Field in Joliet. Washington was able to win it, 1-0, salvaging a game in the series to start the longest trip of the season.
It was a marvelous performance for Washington’s Justin Showalter, who spun Washington’s first nine-inning shutout since August 20, 2021, for his third win of the season. Showalter was tagged for six hits but walked only one and struck out four in the complete game, the first of his pro career.
He was helped by three very good defensive plays and three double plays for the Wild Things defensively. The first batter of the game, Matt Feinstein, launched a ball to deep center that centerfielder Robert Chayka made an over the shoulder, leaping, running grab on. In the fifth, Abraham Sequera fielded a ball on his backhand at third, tagged the lead runner at third after he had reached on a triple to start the inning, then fired to first for a double play. Chayka then made a diving grab to save a run and the lead to end the sixth in the left-center gap.
Cole Cook, Joliet’s starter, was great too. The reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Week spun eight innings of one-run ball. He had eight punchouts, including the last five he faced in the loss, his first of the season (4-1). He allowed four hits and walked one. Evy Ruibal pitched a scoreless ninth for Joliet.
The game’s only run came in the Washington fifth on an RBI double to left by Abraham Sequera that glanced off the glove of Joliet third baseman Will Salas, who had leaped to try and make a play on the liner. That scored Scotty Dubrule, who had reached second on an error after a single to short left.
The performance on August 20, 2021 by Ryan Hennen was a two-hitter with eight strikeouts and on July 27, 2021 it was from former Slammer turned Wild Thing Daren Osby. He spun the first shutout that season against New Jersey and allowed one hit, had two walks and seven strikeouts.
Washington’s nine-game road trip continues in Sauget, Illinois tomorrow with the first of a three-game weekend series against the Gateway Grizzlies. First pitch of Friday’s series opener is slated for 6:45 p.m. CT.
