Wild Things Swipe Middle Game With Late Inning Drama

SAUGET, Il. (June 12) – Washington took the middle game of the series against Gateway around late back-and-forth drama, 5-4 to even the set and force a rubber game.

The Grizzlies opening the day’s scoring early as the home team scored in the first inning. After a leadoff walk was issued to Andrew Moritz by Malik Barrington, Washington’s starter, Moritz would score on an RBI single by Jack-Thomas Wold.

Washington answered in the top of the fifth, ending a 30-inning scoreless streak against Gateway, as Caleb McNeely lined a pitch back through the middle with the bases full for an RBI making it 1-1. In the bottom half of the frame, Gateway got the run back unearned against Barrington on a sacrifice fly by Andrew Moritz.

The Wild Things got a break in the seventh as Tommy Caufield hit a big-league pop up that found its way down for a two-run single making it 3-2 Washington. Caufield himself scored on a single by Wagner Lagrange. Gateway fought back to tie it, scoring a run on a wild pitch in the seventh and a run in the eighth on a homer by Kevin Krause.

Centerfielder Caleb McNeely homered to right in the ninth to lead the inning off and make it 5-4, which turned out to be the final. Gyeongju Kim earned the save in the ninth for the Wild Things, his eighth of the year.

In the win, Washington’s Andrew Czech walked to extend his on-base streak to 60 games.

With the series even, the two teams now shift to the finale tomorrow, scheduled for 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT at Grizzlies Ballpark Thursday. Jordan DiValerio will take the mound for Washington and be opposed by Teague Conrad.