Washington Routs Schaumburg, McNeely Drives In Six, Kirby Twirls Quality Start
SCHAUMBURG, Il. (June 23) – Combining an offensive explosion with a very strong start from right hander Zach Kirby, the Washington Wild Things routed the Boomers to take the weekend series and the final meeting between the two until the final weekend of the regular season, 14-2.
The Wild Things got the first two runs of the game in the first inning. Evan Berkey was hit by a pitch and Alex Ovalles walked in front of Caleb McNeely, who collected the first of his six RBI in the win with an RBI single to make it 1-0. Several batters later Ethan Wilder hit a sac fly to make it 2-0, scoring Ovalles.
Washington added four in the third using RBI singles from Wagner Lagrange and Tommy Caufield to make it 4-0 before Ricardo Sanchez plated two with a base hit to right to push the lead to 6-0. In the fourth, McNeely lifted a sac fly to center for his 40th RBI of the season, which made it 7-0.
Derek Gellos had a pinch-hit RBI single and Evan Berkey singled home a run in the fifth which grew the Washington lead to 9-0 and then the Wild Things plated five in the seventh to make it 14-0. Alex Ovalles pushed everyone station to station with a bases-loaded run-scoring single. McNeely then stepped up and launched a grand slam to left center, his ninth homer of the year and second grand slam, giving him a six RBI day.
McNeely joins Robert Chayka on June 5 as players to drive in six in a single game for Washington this season. It’s now been done 11 times in the history of the club.
The offense did all its work while Zach Kirby dealt. He’s now 4-0 in starts not against Gateway this season and 0-3 with zero runs of support in starts against the Grizzlies. Kirby worked 7.1 innings of two-run ball and allowed seven hits with two strikeouts and a walk in his seventh start of the campaign. For Kirby, the win is his fourth of the season. He was relieved by Frankie Giuilano, who saw an inherited runner score on an error, but finished the game to seal it for the Wild Things.
Washington is now 7-0 in road series this year and will take a road record of 16-4 to Sauget to play the Gateway Grizzlies this week, starting Tuesday. The trip, Washington’s longest of the season, will see the series in Gateway and then at Lake Erie to close it next weekend. Washington is in first place by 1.5 games heading into the week in the West. First pitch Tuesday is slated for 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT.
